Friends – I’m no good at sticking to a diet. There are just too many delicious treats out there. Once I start thinking about something yummy, I can’t get it out of my head. Take these Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie bars, for example. 
They’re heaven in a pan. My mom says she found 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. They’re quick to make – the perfect blend of a chewy lemon cookie with creamy sweet filling. You mix just a few ingredients with a package of lemon cake mix and then press a portion of this into a baking pan. 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. Sprinkle the rest of the cake mix mixture over the top and bake again. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the cookies to cool down enough to cut into them. Yum!
Ready for the recipe?
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookie Bars
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!!
Nutrition
Make this recipe?
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Here’s the other hard part – try really, really hard not to eat the entire pan in one day.
Comments & Reviews
Mary L says
They look delicious and easy to make. Thank you for the recipe…I will be making it for my family.
Dena says
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.
girlinspired says
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. 😉
RaeAnna Goss says
YUMMY!!! Lemon bars are my favorite – definitely going to try this recipe!
Charity says
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! =)
Heidi @CarolinaDreamz says
Hi. Could you please share your home made lemon cake mix recipe with us? I cave for lemon too. 🙂 ~Heidi
KayleneP @ The Links Site says
Lemon recipes are my weakness, I can’t wait to try this one!
girlinspired says
Thanks, Kaylene, Yes! I love everything lemon, too.
Michaella says
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.
Mara Salinas says
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.
Lauren says
This did not out well for me 🙁 do you use powder sugar? My cream cheese never got very fluffy and the mixture ontop of the cake portion was very runny.
girlinspired says
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!
Jennifer says
I’m going to try to make these with a key lime cake mix and lime juice/peel for a bake sale. Sounds yummy!!!
jen says
These were delicious!!! and so easy to make!! I used 2 8×8 dishes. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
Jamie says
Should the leftovers be refrigerated? Or can they be left at room temp?
girlinspired says
Leftovers????? 🙂 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.
Barbara says
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 !!
Lorna says
These are really delicious !!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Linda Fisher says
Looks delicious! Do they freeze well?
girlinspired says
They’re so delicious, Linda, that I’ve never had enough to try freezing. 😉 Let me know if you try it – I’m not sure how the cream cheese part would thaw?
janet fishnman says
making these for a party. After cuttig into squares, do they come out of the pan easilyor do you have to grease pan?
Margaret says
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;)
Nicole says
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?
Krystin says
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!!!!!!
Nikki says
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 “crumble” back and was even more lemony to my liking. From now on, that’s what I’ll be sticking with.
Bonnie says
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.
girlinspired says
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.
Roberta says
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
mary kay says
Quick question…I have a yellow cake mix at home…can that be substitued…if so…do I need to add lemon flavoring?
girlinspired says
Hi Mary, you can use a yellow cake mix – they’ll still be yummy, but definitely won’t have the same lemon forward flavor. If you have lemon oil, that’s my favorite way to add a good dose of lemon flavor. You could also add maybe 1 teaspoon lemon extract. Or add lemon zest and/or juice to the cake mix portion. You probably can’t go wrong, it’ll be a fun experiment!
Shirley Donajkowski says
This was so easy and one of my favorites.