Shelly's Recipe

THREE LAYER LEMON BARS

Category: Bars

Crust
½ cup butter softened
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Cream cheese filling
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon extract

Lemon curd
4 large egg yolks
1 tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup sugar and water
2 tsp grated lemon peel
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp butter, softened

Topping
Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare shortbread crust by creaming butter and sugar together and adding vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until fully incorporated. Press dough evenly into bottom of a 9” square pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Prick crust with a fork and bake 30 minutes or until crust turns golden brown. Cool on a rack at room temperature.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and extract and beat until light and smooth. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate.

Curd: Blend yolks with cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Place over low heat and slowly whisk in water and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add lemon peel and butter and cook for 10 minutes.

To assemble: Spread chilled cream cheese mixture evenly over crust with a spatula. Spread lemon curd evenly over cream cheese filling. Place pan in center of the oven and bake 30-40 minutes. Cool at room temperature. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour before cutting into bars. Dust top with confectioners’ sugar.