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Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

June 4, 2014 by girlinspired 28 Comments

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Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - one of our family's favorite desserts!

Friends – I’m no good at sticking to a diet. ย There are just too many delicious treats out there. ย Once I start thinking about something yummy, I can’t get it out of my head. ย Take these Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie bars, for example. ย Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - a chewy cookie base topped with a lemon cream cheese filling

They’re heaven in a pan. ย My mom says she foundย the recipe on a cake mix when we were kids, but since they’ve been in her recipe box for 35 years, she can’t tell me just which box they came from. ย They’re quick to make – the perfect blend of a chewyย lemonย cookie with creamy sweet filling. ย You mix just a few ingredients with a package of lemon cake mix and then press a portion of this into a baking pan. ย After baking for a few minutes, you take the cookie base out of the oven and spread a lemon cream cheese mixture over the top. ย Sprinkle the rest of the cake mix mixture over the top and bake again. ย The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the cookies to cool down enough to cut into them. ย Yum!

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - a chewy cookie base topped with a lemon cream cheese filling

 

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - a chewy cookie base topped with a lemon cream cheese filling

Ready for the recipe?

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - a chewy cookie base topped with a lemon cream cheese filling

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

Chewy lemon cookie bars with a citrus cream cheese filling and cookie crumble top.
4.28 from 37 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 20
Calories: 190kcal
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Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. lemon cake mix I use Betty Crocker.
  • 2 eggs 1 for crumble mixture, 1 for cream cheese mixture
  • 1/3 C. vegetable oil
  • 1/3 C. sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon peel
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 8 oz. package cream cheese softened

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix 1 package of dry cake mix, 1 egg, and vegetable oil until blended and crumbly.
  • Reserve 1 cup of crumbly mixture; set aside.
  • Pat remaining mixture into a 13 x 9 in. baking pan and bake for 12 minutes.
  • In separate bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, 1 egg, sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice.
  • Beat until smooth and fluffy.
  • Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over baked crumble mixture.
  • Sprinkle reserved crumble mixture over the top of cream cheese layer.
  • Bake 15 minutes longer or until crumb topping is just beginning to brown.
  • Allow to cool completely, cut into bars, and eat up!!
Tried this recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @girlinspired!

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 176IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - a chewy cookie base topped with a lemon cream cheese fillingHere’s the other hard part – try really, really hard not to eat the entire pan in one day.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars - one of our family's favorite desserts!

Filed Under: Desserts, Food and Recipes Tagged With: cookies, cream cheese, lemon

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Comments

  1. Mary L says

    June 4, 2014 at 7:02 am

    They look delicious and easy to make. Thank you for the recipe…I will be making it for my family.

    Reply
  2. Dena says

    June 4, 2014 at 8:50 am

    These look yummy, but I just want to verify pan size. The recipe indicates a 9×13, however your one picture certainly looks like a square pan. Can you please confirm size. Thanks.

    Reply
    • girlinspired says

      June 9, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      Hi Dena! I did use a 10×10 square pan this time – either size will work fine. I typically use a 9×13, but it was occupied at the time. ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
  3. RaeAnna Goss says

    June 6, 2014 at 10:23 am

    YUMMY!!! Lemon bars are my favorite – definitely going to try this recipe!

    Reply
  4. Charity says

    June 6, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    I just made these! I had to make my own cake mix because I didn’t have any on hand, so I added some lemon juice, peel, and extract to that as well. It’s delicious! Thank you for sharing! =)

    Reply
    • Heidi @CarolinaDreamz says

      June 19, 2014 at 6:10 am

      Hi. Could you please share your home made lemon cake mix recipe with us? I cave for lemon too. ๐Ÿ™‚ ~Heidi

      Reply
  5. KayleneP @ The Links Site says

    June 11, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Lemon recipes are my weakness, I can’t wait to try this one!

    Reply
    • girlinspired says

      June 16, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      Thanks, Kaylene, Yes! I love everything lemon, too.

      Reply
  6. Michaella says

    November 29, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    I have the exact same recipe – my mom’s had it for years, too! It’s a holiday- and pot luck-must, and the only thing I’m ever asked to bring.

    Reply
  7. Mara Salinas says

    December 13, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    I have been looking for this recipe for years! When I was a kid my mother’s friend used to bring these to every get together and I loved them. My mom has since lost touch with the woman but I have always remembered the delicious lemon bars. Can’t wait to make them.

    Reply
  8. Lauren says

    December 17, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    This did not out well for me ๐Ÿ™ do you use powder sugar? My cream cheese never got very fluffy and the mixture ontop of the cake portion was very runny.

    Reply
    • girlinspired says

      April 13, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      Hi Lauren, I do not use powdered sugar. If you let the cream cheese sit out for a while and get to room temperature, it will get a lot more fluffy when you beat the mixture! Hope that helps!

      Reply
  9. Jennifer says

    January 17, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    I’m going to try to make these with a key lime cake mix and lime juice/peel for a bake sale. Sounds yummy!!!

    Reply
  10. jen says

    February 21, 2015 at 7:13 am

    5 stars
    These were delicious!!! and so easy to make!! I used 2 8×8 dishes. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  11. Jamie says

    March 11, 2015 at 11:24 am

    Should the leftovers be refrigerated? Or can they be left at room temp?

    Reply
    • girlinspired says

      March 12, 2015 at 4:42 pm

      Leftovers????? ๐Ÿ™‚ Just kidding, Jamie, we’ve always just left them out at room temperature, but covered with plastic wrap – never more than a day, though. Because by then they’re gone.

      Reply
  12. Barbara says

    March 12, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    I just finished making these lemon cheese bars.Girlinspired you are right they are hard to stay away from before they are completely cooled. Yum can hardly wait. Thanks for sharing !!

    Reply
  13. Lorna says

    May 7, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    These are really delicious !!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
  14. Linda Fisher says

    June 9, 2015 at 4:15 am

    Looks delicious! Do they freeze well?

    Reply
    • girlinspired says

      June 9, 2015 at 11:49 am

      They’re so delicious, Linda, that I’ve never had enough to try freezing. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Let me know if you try it – I’m not sure how the cream cheese part would thaw?

      Reply
  15. janet fishnman says

    October 28, 2015 at 8:33 am

    making these for a party. After cuttig into squares, do they come out of the pan easilyor do you have to grease pan?

    Reply
  16. Margaret says

    November 14, 2015 at 6:32 pm

    5 stars
    I made these this summer and gave them to my co workers. They were a HUGE hit! I’m re visiting today to bake more for Thanksgiving, at the request of my co workers;)

    Reply
  17. Nicole says

    November 28, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    I just made these. I made the version with the yellow cake. Which do you prefer the yellow or lemon cake? They are delicious. I was just thinking I would like them to have a thicker lemon cheesecake layer. Would it work using an 8X8 pan or would you double the filling recipe?

    Reply
  18. Krystin says

    August 16, 2018 at 4:13 pm

    5 stars
    Just so you can set your memory to rest, this original recipe was from a Duncan Hines deluxe lemon cake mix box. It was also put on a few Pillsbury summer cookie mix boxes a few years ago. I LOVE these!!!!!!

    Reply
  19. Nikki says

    February 8, 2020 at 11:57 am

    5 stars
    Hi Stef,

    I found the same recipe a hundred years ago….jk….. from a magazine advertising various recipes by Duncan Hines.
    Now that I have a Meyer lemon tree which produces lots of lemons this is my go to recipe. However, yesterday I over measured the oil and the dough turned out pasty and sticky instead of crumbly. I though it was ruined. Luckily I had a small box of instant lemon pudding and added it to the dough, hoping for a better result. It turned out that it was the perfect addition!!!!. I got my โ€œcrumbleโ€ back and was even more lemony to my liking. From now on, thatโ€™s what Iโ€™ll be sticking with.

    Reply
  20. Bonnie says

    December 18, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    Novice here. Do you grease the pan before putting the cake mix down? Will it come out nicely cut into squares? Want to bring to a party on a pretty platter. Thank you.

    Reply
    • girlinspired says

      December 20, 2021 at 4:25 am

      Hi Bonnie! My favorite way to get bars and brownies out of a pan is to line it with parchment paper so that two sides come up and over the edges – like flaps – when they’re done baking, these bars really have to cool down. Then you can lift the whole thing from the pan by the flaps. Or you can also just cut them out. They should turn out nicely as long as they’re completely cool before cutting.

      Reply
  21. Roberta says

    January 17, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    Do I need to adjust the recipe if I live at high altitude? I live at over 6000 feet and my baking recipes never come out right because of altitude
    Thanks

    Reply

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