Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Crust Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (~ 2 large lemons)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 8ounce packages of cream cheese (24 ounces total), room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Line 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside
3. Cut butter into small cubes and chill until cold and firm.
4. Mix together flour, sugar, and lemon zest.
5. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly and all the butter is coated in flour. You are looking for pea size crumbs; a mixture with some larger crumbs is okay.
6. Stir in egg yolks and vanilla extract.  The yolk can be a little difficult to distribute, but mix it the best you can. It is okay if there are some clumps of yolk.
7. Add crust to the baking pan and press evenly over the parchment paper.
8. Bake crust for 7 minutes at 400°F. Let the crust cool completely.

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Add sugar, lemon zest, flour, and salt to a food processor. Pulse briefly until combined and fragrant. Set aside.
3. Beat cream cheese and vanilla extract until fluffy using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer.  
4. Gradually add sugar mixture into the cream cheese. Mix until well combined.
5. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and add eggs and egg yolk all at once. Beat until just combined.
6. Gradually mix in lemon juice and milk until combined. Don’t overmix.
7. Pour filling over cooled crust. Tap the pan gently a few times to help pop any air bubbles.

Bake

1. Bake in a 450°F oven for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to 300°F and bake for 25-30 minutes longer until the center appears set. The edges of the cheesecake with be raised or puffed. A very slight jiggle in the center of the cheesecake is okay as it will continue to cook as it cools. You can also test the doneness with a toothpick, but it may cause the cheesecake to crack.
3. Cool cheesecake completely in the pan. Chill covered for at least two hours. Chilling overnight is preferred.
4. Cut cheesecake with a warm knife to get bars with nice edges.  Enjoy!

Makes twenty four bars.