Lemon Cream Cheese Squares

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 egg , for glazing
• 10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup sour cream, plus
• 1 tablespoon sour cream, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350*f. lightly grease an 8" square baking pan with butter.
• 2 for the base:.
• 3 process the flour and confectoner's sugar in a food processor for several seconds. add the butter and process until the dough comes together, 20 to 30 seconds.
• 4 pat the dough gently over the bottom of prepared pan and about 1" up the sides. glaze it with the egg : pour the egg on the dough and tip the pan from side to side so the spreads over the surface. pour off the excess.
• 5 bake the base on the center oven rack until golden, about 25 minutes. place the base in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to cool completely. keep on the oven.
• 6 meanwhile prepare the topping:.
• 7 using an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest together in a medium bowl till light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• 8 add the sour cream and lemon juice and beat the mixture on medium high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. scrape the bowl.
• 9 add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium high speed until smooth and creamy,about 10 seconds. spread the topping evenly over the base.
• 10 bake the bars on the center oven rack until the top is slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 1 hour. if the topping bubbles up during baking, prick the bubbles with a toothpick or a thin knife.
• 11 allow the bars to cool completely on a rack. cut them with the point of a thin sharp knife that is dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each cut.