About
Remember those days of persuading your parents to let you have a lemonade stand on the front lawn? Well, even though you never earned enough coins to get that pony you were dreaming of, it did gain you the appreciation for a nice, cold glass of that yellow, citrusy stuff... which has now led you to these Lemonade Cheesecake Bars. The filling is so fluffy, sweet, and perfectly infused with flavors of your childhood summers. Nestled on a salty, crunchy pretzel-and-graham-cracker crust, Lemonade Cheesecake Bars are tasty proof that even when your goals don't work out the way you planned, there's always something delightful to come!
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
- 3 cups pretzels, crushed into crumbs
- For the lemon cheesecake:
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
- 1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, such as Old Orchard®, thawed, divided
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Optional, topping:
- whipped cream, to taste
- lemon wedges, to taste
- fresh mint leaves, to taste
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 -Line a metal, 9-inch baking dish with two 9x12-inch pieces of parchment paper in a plus-sign formation.
Step 3 -In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, stir the butter and the sugar together.
Step 4 -Melt the butter-sugar mixture in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 5 -Mix the graham cracker crumbs and the pretzel crumbs into the melted butter-sugar mixture.
Step 6 -Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 7 -Bake the crust until it is evenly golden-brown, about 12 minutes.
Step 8 -Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let the crust cool, about 15 minutes.
Step 9 -Place the baking dish in the refrigerator and let the crust chill until ready to use.
Step 10 -In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of the lemonade concentrate, the powdered sugar, the vanilla extract, and the salt and use an electric hand mixer to combine.
Step 11 -Add the heavy cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix until it is fluffy and airy.
Step 12 -Evenly spread the filling over the cooled crust.
Step 13 -Place the baking dish in the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Step 14 -In a small saucepan, add the remaining lemonade concentrate and whisk in the cornstarch. Bring to a boil.
Step 15 -Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the glaze mixture until it thickens, about 30 seconds.
Step 16 -Pour the glaze into a bowl and let it cool, about 15 minutes.
Step 17 -Evenly pour the cooled glaze over the cheesecake filling and use the back of a spoon to spread it to the edges.
Step 18 -Place the baking dish in the refrigerator and chill the bars, about 1 hour.
Step 19 -Use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the bars out of the baking dish and cut them into 12 squares.
Step 20 -Top the lemon squares with the whipped cream, the lemon wedges, and the mint leaves.
Step 21 -Serve.
