Description
Perfectly sweet and tangy with swirls of homemade Meyer lemon curd, these creamy Meyer lemon cheesecake bars are the ideal dessert to welcome spring.
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Curd
- 1 tsp Meyer lemon zest
- 3 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Crust
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup graham flour (or whole wheat flour)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Instructions
- For the curd, whisk together Meyer lemon zest, juice, sugar, and egg in a heavy saucepan. Cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Add butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly until melted, before adding more butter. Continue until curd is smooth and thickened, and coats the back of a spoon (about 5 minutes total).
- Strain curd through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic directly on the surface, and chill until cold – at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- For the crust, whisk together flour, graham flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Combine melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add flour mixture and fold in until incorporated. Use a piece of parchment paper lightly coated with nonstick spray to press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust for 18 minutes, until golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, and reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- For the filling, place cream cheese and yogurt in a food processor and process until combined. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg; process until smooth. Spoon cream cheese mixture over cooled crust and spread evenly. Dollop lemon curd by teaspoons over cream cheese layer and swirl together with a toothpick or wooden skewer; gently tap pan once to remove air bubbles.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until center is set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack; cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 3 hours. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; use a sharp knife to trim away raised edges, then cut into bars.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days.