Description
Creamy lemon delight cream cheese bars blend zesty citrus with rich, tangy cream cheese. Refreshing dessert bars offer a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors you’ll savor with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 packages (8 oz / 226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 packages (8 oz / 226 g) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 0.5 cup white sugar
- 2 tbsps butter, melted
- 3 tbsps white sugar for topping
- Cooking spray for pan
- Lemon zest from 1.5 lemons
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, generously coating with cooking spray for effortless removal.
- Base Layer: Unroll first crescent roll dough, gently pressing into the dish to create a seamless, even foundation that completely covers the bottom surface.
- Cream Cheese Filling: Whip cream cheese with sugar, incorporating fresh lemon zest and juice until achieving a silky, lump-free consistency that bursts with citrusy brightness.
- Assembly: Spread the lemon-infused cream cheese mixture uniformly across the crescent roll base, ensuring complete coverage to the dish’s edges while maintaining a smooth, level surface.
- Topping and Finishing: Carefully layer the second crescent roll dough over the cream cheese filling, stretching gently to provide complete coverage, then brush melted butter across the surface and sprinkle with reserved lemon zest and sugar mixture.
- Baking: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, monitoring until the top turns a rich golden-brown and the edges appear firm and set.
- Cooling and Serving: Allow the dessert to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes, then lift from the dish using foil edges, slice into precise squares, and refrigerate for at least one hour to solidify and intensify the flavors.
Notes
- Prevent Sticky Situations: Line the baking dish with foil and spray generously to ensure effortless removal of bars after baking.
- Smooth Cream Cheese Magic: Ensure cream cheese is fully softened and mix thoroughly to eliminate lumps for a silky, creamy filling.
- Perfect Dough Technique: Gently stretch crescent roll dough to cover the entire surface without pressing too hard, maintaining a light, flaky texture.
- Chilling for Flavor Perfection: Refrigerate bars for at least one hour after cooling to allow flavors to develop and achieve the ideal slice-able consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg