Description
Lemon cream cheese bars blend tangy citrus with creamy richness for a delightful dessert. Buttery graham cracker crust and zesty filling create a perfect balance you’ll savor with each refreshing bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 packages (8 oz or 226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 2 packages (8 oz or 226 g) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 3 tbsps (45 g) granulated white sugar (for topping)
- 2 tbsps (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
- Cooking spray for preparation
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by lining with foil and spraying with cooking spray to prevent adherence.
- Gently unroll first crescent roll dough package and press into bottom of dish, ensuring complete coverage along edges and corners.
- Create filling by whisking lemon juice, most of the lemon zest, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth and creamy using an electric mixer.
- Spread cream cheese mixture evenly across the first dough layer, maintaining consistent thickness throughout the pan.
- Carefully unroll second crescent roll dough package and layer on top of cream cheese mixture, pressing gently to seal edges.
- Brush melted butter over top layer of dough, covering entire surface uniformly.
- Combine remaining sugar and lemon zest, then sprinkle mixture across buttered dough surface for added texture and flavor.
- Bake for 30 minutes until top achieves a golden-brown color and edges appear slightly crisp.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Lift entire dessert from pan using foil edges and transfer to cutting board.
- Slice into square portions and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set and enhance flavor profile before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh, high-quality crescent roll dough for the best texture and flavor in your bars.
- Zest lemons before juicing to maximize flavor extraction and ensure even distribution of citrusy notes.
- Allow cream cheese to soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to achieve a perfectly smooth, lump-free mixture.
- Swap crescent roll dough with gluten-free puff pastry or a homemade almond flour crust for those with dietary restrictions.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 232 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg