Description
Zesty lemon cream cheese bars bring sunshine to dessert tables with creamy, tangy perfection. Delicate layers of smooth cream cheese and bright citrus create a refreshing treat you won’t be able to resist.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 packages (16 ounces / 454 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 2 packages (16 ounces / 454 grams) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
Sweeteners:
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
- 3 tablespoons (37.5 grams) white sugar
Supplementary Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter, melted
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 350F (175C) and coat a rectangular baking pan with non-stick spray.
- Carefully unfurl the first crescent roll dough package and gently press into the pan’s bottom, creating an even base layer.
- Combine cream cheese, white sugar, softened butter, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice in a mixing bowl, blending until the mixture becomes silky and uniform.
- Meticulously spread the cream cheese mixture across the dough, ensuring complete and consistent coverage.
- Gently unroll the second crescent roll dough package and delicately position it atop the cream cheese layer.
- Evenly scatter the remaining sugar and lemon zest across the top surface, creating a delicate, fragrant topping.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, watching for a golden-brown color and slight bubbling around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely at room temperature before slicing into neat squares.
- Serve and enjoy the tangy, sweet dessert bars.
Notes
- Prepare all ingredients at room temperature to ensure smooth mixing and even texture.
- Use a zester or fine grater to extract maximum lemon zest without bitter white pith.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute crescent roll dough with gluten-free puff pastry or almond flour-based crust.
- Refrigerate bars for at least an hour before serving to allow cream cheese filling to set and enhance flavor intensity.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 209 kcal
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 192 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 44 mg