These creamy lemon bars are a twist on the classic lemon bar, and it’s more of a little lemon cheesecake bar. With the addition of cream cheese, they’re creamier than a standard lemon bar, but also not quite as cheesy and rich as a traditional cheesecake. They are super easy to whip up and have bright lemon-y flavor. They make a great ending to a simple meal, or a perfect treat for a party or gathering- I’ve also made them with lime and they’re delicious!
Ingredient Notes
- Nilla wafers – The crust is made with Nilla wafer cookies. Name brand or store bought will both work. A lot of crusts are comprised of simply cookie crumbs and butter, but this one has some dry ingredients added to it, like flour and sugar. So you get the tender crumb from the flour, but the amazing cookie-ness from the Nilla wafers.
- Butter – This recipe was developed using real butter, so that is the best choice. Here’s a great tip for cutting in butter to create a flaky crust: use a cheese grater! If I’m making something like pie crust or biscuits I use a more traditional method, but for something like this, a cheese grater works perfectly. Popping your butter in the freezer for a few minutes before grating makes it even easier.
- Cream Cheese – Full fat or low fat will work. Avoid fat free.
- Lemon (or lime) juice – You will need both the juice and the zest of your lemons or limes. I don’t recommend bottled juice or dried zest. Fresh is best!
- Foil for easy cutting – Line your baking pan with foil or parchment and you will be able to lift the entire pan full of bars out for easy cutting after they are cooled.
How To Make Creamy Lemon Bars
- Prepare crust by either chopping or grating cold butter into dry ingredients and then combining until it looks like crumbly wet sand.
- Place mixture into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan and press down evenly. Pre-bake your crust while you prepare the filling.
- For the filling, beat up cream cheese and sugar. You’ll also add in some eggs and vanilla and a tiny bit of flour and then fresh lemon juice and zest
- Pour the batter into your partially baked crust and pop it back in the oven.
- After they are baked, cooled, and chilled you can pull the foil right out for easy cutting. Slice them into bars and sprinkle extra zest on top. You can also sprinkle them with powdered sugar, but just keep in mind the bars are moist so the sugar melts into them quickly. I do it right before serving just to make them look pretty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these creamy lemon bars ahead? You bet! These bars honestly get better with time. Feel free to make them a day ahead of time through the refrigeration step. When ready to serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar, garnish with zest, cut, and serve.
Can I freeze these? While I haven’t tested freezing them myself, other readers report that they do indeed freeze and thaw well. Make sure they are tightly wrapped before freezing!
Serving Suggestions and Related Recipes
These yummy bars are a great treat to go with summer barbecues, perfect for potlucks, and beautiful for receptions or brunches. Serve as a light dessert after a meal, or add to a sweet spread at celebrations.
Looking for other fun bar desserts? Check out these other Our Best Bites favorites:
Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake Bars
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Icing
Texas Sheet Cake
Oatmeal M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Did You Make This?
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Creamy Lemon {or Lime!} Bars
Ingredients
- CRUST20 Nilla Wafers finely crushed1/2 cup flour1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold real butter
- FILLING1 8-ounce package cream cheese you can use 1/3-less fat cream cheese1 cup granulated sugar2 eggs, at room temp (just place eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 10 mins)1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract2 tablespoons flour3 tablespoons grated lemon peel, divided1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (don’t even think about opening a bottle!)1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine Nilla Wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup flour and the brown sugar. Chop butter into small pieces and then cut into crumb mixture with a pastry blender. If you don’t have a pastry blender, just use 2 knives, or even your fingers to break up the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.
- While crust is cooking, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, vanilla, 2 tablespoons flour, and baking powder; mix well. Blend in 1 tablespoon lemon zest and lemon juice and then pour mixture over crust.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. These bars improve with time. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel just before cutting into squares to serve. Store leftover squares in refrigerator. (As if you’ll have leftovers!)
