Lemon Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Creamy cheesecake is swirled with sweet, tangy lemon curd in this delicious and crowd-pleasing dessert.

There is nothing casual about my relationship with cheesecake. I come from a family full of avowed cheesecake fanatics– it’s our communal favorite dessert. Even so, we usually save it for special occasions: birthdays, holidays, anniversaries… If it’s time to celebrate something, chances are we’re having cheesecake!

This is one of our favorite ways to eat it– the rich cheesiness works so well with the tartness of the lemon. Use store-bought lemon curd or make your own!

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Yield: 10-12 bars

Ingredients

• 5-6 graham cracker sheets
• 3-4 tablespoons almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 16 oz. Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup baking stevia, or more powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼-1/3 cup lemon curd

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°; line an 8×8 pan with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs, then add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough-like consistency forms. Press the graham cracker crust firmly into the pan and set aside.
3. Process the Neufchâtel cheese until smooth, then add the powdered sugar, stevia, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon and vanilla extracts until everything is evenly combined. Pour over the crust.
4. Heat the lemon curd to a stirrable consistency. Drop spoonfuls over the top of the cheesecake and swirl it through with a knife.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the oven off but allow the bars to sit inside it with the door closed for another 10.
6. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours before slicing.

 

Thinking Out Loud

1. Currently reading: Still working on Hamilton: The Revolution— I’m making myself read it slowly to savor it. 🙂 Other than that, the book slump remains strong.
2. 29 Magnificently Satisfying Pictures of Food. That pasta packaging at #21, though.
3. Look at what you can do with a broken dome clock. SO COOL. I wish I was better at this type of thing.
4. I have no reason to own this dress, but I love it and would just do really fancy grocery shopping in it.
5. Recipes I tried this week:
   – Chocolate Chip Blueberry Bars – Chocolate-Covered Katie

Head over to Running with Spoons for more Thinking Out Loud!

Shared at Thoughts of Home on Thursday; Fit Foodie Friday; Weekend Potluck; Link Party Palooza; Peace, Love, Linkup; Sunday Fitness & Food Link-Up with Marathons & Motivation and IlkasBlog; Cooking & Crafting with J&J; Tasty Tuesdays; Project Inspired; Tips & Tricks Link Party; Wow Us Wednesdays; the Wednesday Showcase; the Alder Collective Link Party; What’s Cookin’ Wednesday; Full Plate Thursday. For a complete list of where I share, click here.