Description
Delight in these vibrant Sugar Cookie Lemon Bars featuring a buttery sugar cookie crust topped with a creamy, tangy lemon filling and a crumbly topping. Perfectly balanced with sweet and tart flavors, these bars are a refreshing treat chilled to perfection and optionally adorned with whipped cream.
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 1 package (17.5 ounces) sugar cookie mix
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon Filling
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (180 ml) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 box (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Topping (Optional)
- Whipped cream, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper to ensure easy removal of the bars later.
- Combine Crust Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the sugar cookie mix, softened butter, and kosher salt with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Set Aside Crumble for Topping: Reserve ½ cup of the crumb mixture and set it aside for topping.
- Press Crust Mixture: Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish to form the crust base.
- Beat Cream Cheese and Sugar: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and creamy.
- Add Remaining Filling Ingredients: To the cream cheese mixture, add the all-purpose flour, thawed lemonade concentrate, vanilla bean paste, instant lemon pudding mix, and the large egg. Mix gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Assemble Lemon Filling: Drop spoonfuls of the lemon filling over the crust. Gently spread the filling to the edges with care to keep the crust intact.
- Add Crumble Topping: Evenly sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of cookie crumble over the lemon filling layer.
- Bake the Bars: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the center is just set.
- Cool and Chill: Allow the bars to cool in the pan for 1 hour at room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight to let them fully set.
- Serve: Slice the chilled lemon bars into squares and optionally top with whipped cream before serving.
Notes
- Make sure all refrigerated ingredients are brought to room temperature for smooth mixing.
- Do not overmix the lemon filling to keep a creamy consistency and avoid toughness.
- For easier slicing, chill the bars thoroughly before cutting.
- Whipped cream topping is optional but adds a lovely creamy finish.
- If you prefer a more intense lemon flavor, zest some lemon peel into the filling mixture.
