Lemon Cream Cheese Bars Recipe – super easy dessert for a crowd! Crescent rolls, cream cheese, lemon, sugar, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Bursting with lemon flavor! Great for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon snack. You won’t be able to eat just one. These things are dangerously delicious!
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Pin This RecipeLemon Cheesecake Bars
If you are a lemon fan, you MUST make these Easy Lemon Cream Cheese Bars. They are bursting with lemon flavor! Crescent rolls filled with a zesty lemon cheesecake filling and topped with lemon sugar. SO delicious! These bars are great for potlucks and cookouts. Whip up a batch ASAP! You won’t be disappointed.
How to Make Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
This dessert is very easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Press a can crescent roll dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 7 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust.
Unroll a second can of crescent roll dough and layer over cream cheese mixture, gently stretching dough to the edges. In a small bowl, combine white sugar and lemon zest. Brush melted butter over the crescent roll dough layer. Sprinkle the lemon-sugar mixture over the top. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown. Cool the bars and refrigerate for an hour.
Lift the dessert from the baking dish and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- You can use low-fat cream cheese. I do not suggest using fat free cream cheese. It doesn’t melt as well.
- Can use regular crescent roll dough, reduced-fat crescent rolls, or crescent dough sheets.
- Adjust the amount of lemon flavor to your personal preference. There are no eggs in the filling, so it is safe to taste the cream cheese mixture.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Easy Crescent Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
These lemon bars have quickly become a family favorite. I can’t show up to a get-together without a pan of these bars. Everyone LOVES them! They are great cold straight from the refrigerator or warmed up. Chicken Legs suggest heating the bars for 9 seconds in the microwave for the perfect temperature – just so you know!
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Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
Ingredients:
- 2 (8-oz) cans crescent rolls, divided
- 2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 lemons juiced and zested , divided
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Press one can of crescent rolls in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, zest of 1½ lemons, cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat together with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over partially baked crescent roll crust.
- Unroll the second can of crescent roll dough and layer over the cream cheese mixture, gently stretching dough to the edges.
- Brush the dough with melted butter.
- In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and the remaining lemon zest. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the melted butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool the bars for 20 minutes and then refrigerate for an hour.
- Lift the dessert from the baking dish and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the dessert into bars and enjoy.
Notes:
- You can use low-fat cream cheese. I do not suggest using fat free cream cheese. It doesn’t melt as well.
- Can use regular crescent roll dough, reduced-fat crescent rolls, or crescent dough sheets.
- Adjust the amount of lemon flavor to your personal preference. There are no eggs in the filling, so it is safe to taste the cream cheese mixture.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Steph
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This Recipe
Can these be frozen? Thanks.
Can I use parchment paper instead of foil?
sure
Crescent roll dough. Can one use puff pastry for the base or is it more a cakey base. Looks delicious.
any changes and substitutions to the recipe would be up to you
Not a rating but a question. Can I use reconstituted lemon juice.