Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Shortbread Crust

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These are the most delicious and creamy lemon cheesecake bars. They have a buttery shortbread crust with a cheesecake and lemon layer and are dusted with powdered sugar. They are the perfect dessert!

A delicious, bright, and fresh lemon dessert can’t be beaten! I love them so much and lucky for you, I have a bunch more that you MUST try! This no-bake lemon pie, this lemon coconut cake or this delicious lemon curd that you can use in just about anything!

Homemade Lemon Cheesecake Bar Recipe

What better way to celebrate the warm summer months than with some amazing lemon cheesecake bars? I am a huge lemon lover, but I think even the non-lemon lover would love these bars! I brought them to a party and they were the first things to fly off the table. They got eaten so fast! Next time I will make a batch for myself and keep it at home to eat later!

These lemon cheesecake bars are so delicious! They have a buttery shortbread crust on the bottom. The crust is followed by a lemon cheesecake layer and a lemon layer on top! This is the ultimate lemon lover dessert. But I think that these became my favorite because I love cheesecake and this combined the best of both worlds!

Ingredients in Lemon Cheesecake Bars

This dessert is simple to make and delightful to eat! Plus, the ingredients are simple and you probably already have most of them in your pantry! To see the exact measurements for each ingredient then just check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Crust Layer

• Butter: You definitely want your butter to be cold when you mix it in. This allows the butter to melt while it’s cooking and creates the perfect crust!
• Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this recipe
• Light Brown Sugar: I love the deep and sweet flavor that brown sugar adds to the crust.
• Salt: The salt enhances all of the flavors in the crust.

Cheesecake Layer

• Cream Cheese: Unlike the butter, I let this sit out on my counter and come to room temperature before baking with it. Then I don’t have any lumps when I mix it in.
• Sugar: granulated sugar brings in the perfect, sweet taste.
• Egg: I always use large eggs whenever I am baking.
• Milk: I used one percent milk but you can use whatever you have on hand.
• Lemon Juice: You can use fresh lemon juice or juice from a bottle.
• Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla really complements the sweet flavor.

Lemon Layer

• Eggs: Let your eggs come to room temperature and they will mix in better.
• Sugar: This balances out the tart flavor of lemon.
• Lemon Juice: Adding this in really makes this lemon layer stand out and brings the dessert together.
• Lemon Zest: The lemon zest makes the lemon flavor bright and fresh.
• Flour: I used all-purpose flour in this recipe!

How to Make Cheesecake Lemon Bars

This dessert only takes a little over an hour from start to finish and that includes baking time! Plus, this is a great dessert to make ahead of time and have it ready to go for any occasion!

Press and Bake the Crust

1. Combine ingredients: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor or blender, combine cold butter, flour, brown sugar and salt. Pulse until it is incorporated and the pieces are tiny and course.
2. Press and bake: Press into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven.

Make the Cheesecake Filling 

1. Combine and add to warm crust: Combine cream cheese, and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour cheesecake over the warm crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and reduce the oven to 300 degrees.

Add the Lemon Layer on Top

1. Whisk and pour: Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour until combined. Pour the mixture CAREFULLY over the warm cheesecake layer. If you pour too fast the cheesecake layer will lift. If it does lift a little, (mine did) it is ok! It will still taste amazing.
2. Bake: Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until the lemon layer is set. Remove from the oven and let cool. You can refrigerate for 3 hours and serve cold if desired. I think that way is best. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the lemon cheesecake bars, cut them into squares with a sharp knife and enjoy!