Shelly's Recipe

Lemon Ice-Box Bars

Category: Bars

For the crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped (or ground) hazelnuts
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk

For the lemon filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5-6 lemons)
6 tablespoons boiling water
1 packet (about 1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin


To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with aluminum foil so that foil overhangs about 2 inches on short sides.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, confectioners sugar, and vanilla until creamily. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour, hazelnuts, ginger, and salt. Mix well. Mix in egg yolk.

Press crust mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.

To make the filling:
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until creamy. Add mascarpone, beating until combined. Add condensed milk, beating until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat until thick and smooth.

Combine boiling water and gelatin in a small bowl. Whisk until gelatin has dissolved. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Add gelatin mixture to lemon mixture. Beat well. Pour filling onto cooled crust. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Use foil overhang to lift bars carefully from pan. Cut into bars.

Notes
Cover and store in refrigerator for 3 days.
If you have help, I suggest lining pan with another piece of foil that overhangs the long sides of the pan. Then, with some help, the delicate bars can be lifted from all 4 sides.