Creamy Lemon Oat Bars

CREAMY LEMON OAT BARS

I love lemons.  Simple, but true.  I actually use lemons in both savory and sweet recipes.  Lemons complement favors like saffron, peppers for savory dishes, as well as vanilla and cardamom for sweet dishes.  One of my favorite dishes is grilled salmon with big slices of lemon. Yummy… but I’ll get to that recipe at a later date.  This time all I could think about was sweet and tangy when I saw the big bag of fresh picked lemons from my parent’s tree.  Once again, the contents of my frig and cupboards would dictate what I could make…… cheesecake lemon bars.  But I didn’t want the shortbread crust typically found on traditional lemon bars ….. I wanted something different. So of course, I checked out my favorite food blogger, the Pioneer Woman - “Ree Drummond”.  I often say I want her life; handsome husband, adorable kids, beautiful ranch ……. and of course, that great kitchen.  She is my kitchen idol J.  Anyways ….. back to the recipe.

Pioneer Woman had a great crust she used on some lemon bars.  So, using her crust recipe and what I came up with for a cheesecake filling, I created these CREAMY LEMON OAT BARS - a perfect treat for any occasion.  The crust is flakey and the filling is sweet and tangy - the perfect combination of flavors.  I hope you give this recipe a try.

Happy Cooking everyone!

Ingredients:

CRUST:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Old-fashioned Oats (not quick oats)

FILLING:

1 tsp lemon zest

¼ cup lemon juice

8oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 TB half and half milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1.       Foil a 9x9 baking pan, then spray oil on it. Set aside.

2.       Combine flour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.
3.       Mix butter and brown sugar until it is creamy with your mixer. 

4.       Add in the flour mixture until all incorporated.

5.       Stir in the oats till combined.

6.       Split crust mixture in half.  Take one half of the crust mixture and put into the baking dish. Using a cup lightly press down the crust mixture until it is all even. 

7.       Bake for 10 minutes.

8.       While crust is baking, start working on the filling.

9.    In a large bowl mix lemon zest, lemon juice, cream cheese, sugar, milk, vanilla and eggs with a electric mixer.  Mix for about 3 minutes until all are well combined

10.   Pour cream cheese mixture over warm crust and bake for 10 minutes.

11.   Remove bar from oven and sprinkle the second half of the crust over the top of the warm filling. 

12.   Bake for 20-25 minutes until the middle is set.  (note, if the crust starts to get too brown, cut a piece of foil and put on the top so the crust doesn’t burn)

13.   Remove from oven and cool for an hour or so.  Then refrigerate.

14.   Cut into bars.