• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • Desserts
  • Appetizers
  • Low Carb
  • Breakfast
  • Main Entrees
  • Salads

Cooked by Julie

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Posted In: Desserts
    November 15, 2021 — by Julie — 1 Comment

    Home » Delish » Desserts » Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

    Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

    Sharing is caring!

    258 shares
    • Share
    • Reddit
    • Yummly
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These lemon cream cheese bars are made with only 5 ingredients! A quick and easy dessert that’s perfect for a large crowd.

    three lemon cream cheese bars stacked on a wooden board with a lemon on the side.

    Why You’ll Love These

    • These can be enjoyed warm or cold!
    • You can adjust this recipe to your exact liking. Because there are no eggs involved, you can taste the filling and adjust it until it’s perfect.
    • If you’re not a huge fan of lemons, you can use oranges instead or simply omit the lemons. These sopapilla cheesecake bars taste really similar to these but it’s made without lemons.

    Ingredient Notes For Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

    Crescent Dough Sheets – These can be found in the dairy refrigerated section of your local supermarket. If you can’t find the crescent dough sheets, the original crescent dough is fine.

    Cream Cheese – Make sure it’s softened.

    ingredients, cream cheese, lemons, sugar, butter, and crescent dough cans.

    Top Tips

    • Start by adding only a pinch of lemon zest to the filling and work from there. If you like a stronger lemon taste, add more.
    • Avoid lemon extract for this recipe.
    • Let the bars cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing into them.
    • Place any leftovers in an air-tight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
    lemon cream cheese bars in a 9x13 baking dish.

    How Much Lemon Juice Do I Need To Use?

    I only used about 1/4 cup and it was plenty. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is highly recommended. Please avoid the lemon juice that comes in a bottle.

    How Much Zest?

    Lemon zest is very potent so 1/4 tsp goes a long way.

    lemon cream cheese bars up close.

    More Delicious Desserts You’ll Probably Enjoy

    • Cream Cheese Nutella Cookies
    • Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
    • Cream Cheese Banana Muffins
    • Salted Caramel Cheesecake

    Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. And consider following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

    three lemon cream cheese bars stacked on a wooden board with a lemon on the side.

    Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Author: Julie Maestre
    These lemon cream cheese bars are made with only 5 ingredients! A quick and easy dessert that's perfect for a large crowd.

    Ingredients

    • 2 8 ounce crescent dough sheets refrigerated
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese softened
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1/4 tsp lemon zest or to taste

    Topping

    • 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
    • 3 tbsp granulated sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, cream cheese, and 1 cup sugar. Mix well. Taste it and adjust it to your liking. You can add more lemon zest or sugar.
    • Unroll one can of crescent dough and press it into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crescent dough and spread evenly with a spatula.
    • Unroll the second can of crescent dough and place it on top of the cream cheese mixture. Pour the melted butter over the top of the dough and spread evenly using a pastry brush.
    • Sprinkle 3 tbsp of sugar over the top evenly. Bake for 35 minutes uncovered.
    • Allow cooling for 20 minutes before slicing into it and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Start by adding only a pinch of lemon zest to the filling and work from there. If you like a stronger lemon taste, add more.
    • Avoid lemon extract for this recipe.
    • Let the bars cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing into them.
    • Place any leftovers in an air-tight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookedbyjulie or tag #cookedbyjulie!

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

    Filed Under: Desserts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amber says

      February 12, 2022 at 5:37 pm

      4 stars
      it all tasted amazing, however 350° for 20 minutes didn’t allow enough time for the top to set. It took 35 minutes for me.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Julie! I’m extremely fortunate to make a living doing what I truly love – creating and sharing my favorite “can’t live without” recipes with readers from all over the world.

    More about me →

    Holiday Recipes

    • Easter sugar cookie bars with jelly beans, milk, and peep candies on the side.
      Easter Sugar Cookie Bars
    • two slices of caramelized onion cornbread on a plate.
      Caramelized Onion Cornbread
    • Chocolate coquito in a martini glass up close.
      Chocolate Coquito
    • traditional rum balls on a plate.
      Traditional Rum Balls
    • crockpot candy clusters on a baking sheet up close.
      Crockpot Candy
    • mashed potatoes in the instant pot.
      Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

    Popular

    • fried shrimp in a blue small bowl
      Southern Fried Shrimp
    • honey roasted turkey wings
      Honey Baked Turkey Wings
    • crab stuffed salmon fillets up close.
      Crab Stuffed Salmon
    • Creamy Garlic Salmon and Shrimp

    Like Us on Facebook

    Cooked by Julie
    Recipes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2021 Cooked by Julie

    258 shares
     

    Loading Comments...