Monday, March 5, 2012

Lemon Cheesecake Creme Brulee Bars and an Earthquake!



Earthquake!  Monday mornings are difficult enough but all of us in the San Francisco area were awakened by a jolt at 5am this morning.  The earthquake was a 4.0 magnitude and nothing too serious but big enough to jolt us all awake and keep me from being able to fall back to sleep.  It will surely be a very looooong and sleepy Monday.

Since I'm awake I will share with you a yummy dessert I made this weekend.  I have been dying to try these Lemon Cheesecake Creme Brulee Bars ever since I first saw them on Lauren's Latest.  They looked sinful and delicious, two of my favorite qualities in a dessert.

I had  a lot of lemons just waiting to be used up so this recipe was perfect.  The base is super easy to make and the filling is the easiest cheesecake filling you can imagine.  Fabulous lemon flavor but certainly not overpowering and the sweetened condensed milk sweetens it and makes the filling so creamy but does not make the dessert overly sweet at all.  It is a no-fail recipe for sure.

My favorite part of the recipe was getting to use my kitchen torch!  I love to torch things!!!  These bars are fabulous as is and certainly do not need to be bruleed (is that a real word?) but I love how they look with their crackly tops once you burn the thin layer of sugar.  If you do not have a kitchen torch and really want this effect, just stick them under the broiler for a very short time and then pop them back in the refrigerator to keep the bars firm.

Delicious!!  Hope you all have a fabulous and earthquake-free day!


Lemon Cheesecake Creme Brulee Bars

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon zest
6 tablespoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons fine granulated sugar for brulee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 glass dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, flour and vanilla until dough forms. Press evenly into the bottom of prepared dish. Set aside. In another bowl, whip cream cheese. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Scrape sides and mix again. Pour in egg, lemon zest and juice. Mix until mixture starts to thicken, 20-30 seconds. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. Pour over the cookie bottom and smooth the top. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheesecake is set completely. Cool, then refrigerate. Cut into 16 squares and separate. Sprinkle the tops of each square with 1 teaspoon of sugar and spread around with finger to evenly distribute sugar. Torch the tops until the sugar melts and turns an amber color. {If you don’t have a torch, place under the broiler}. Return squares to fridge until ready to serve.

31 comments:

  1. Sweet Becky, the title is very tempting, but once I started reading the post I wished I could stop by with a cup of my morning coffee and enjoy these bars :) Yum! They look so fancy and delicious! Thank you for sharing and have a great day!

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    1. Anna- You are welcome to come on by....please bring the coffee and that beautiful chocolate cake of yours with the caramel buttercream frosting!! Looks delish! We could have ourselves a Monday sugar-fest!!

      Have a great day!

      Becky

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  2. So glad the earthquake wasn't too scary! But I saw the name of this recipe and almost died from excitement. I am going to have to try these asap! Lemon + cheesecake + creme brulee = happy me for an entire week.

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    1. Thanks Jess....you are going to love them!! Hope midterms went well! Have a great week!

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  3. Earthquake!? OMG I WOULD FREAK OUT!

    But I guess you guys must get them quite often? I've never ever experienced an earthquake. They just don't happen over here! I think we both know what I would be doing if there was an earthquake "QUICK, SAVE THE WINE!"

    Great recipe Becky! They'd be delicious with a wee shot of Lemoncello ;)

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    1. Liam- Earthquakes are not nearly as scary as tornadoes and not to worry....I checked the wine and it is all intact!!!

      Funny that you mention Lemoncello....I have a friend who is making a batch right now!! Fly on over for a bite and a sip!! :)

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    2. I would love to! Alas, I am jetsetting home to Ireland tomorrow to see my brand new nephew! I must try whipping up some lemoncello sometime! You got any good recipes for it?

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  4. These look delicious! I am saving this recipe to try.

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  5. These look amazing Becky. I love citrus cheesecake and the brulee top is such a creative and delicious addition. I am catching up on my inbox from being gone all day, but had to stop in and see the details here.
    So glad the earthquake was minor. Have an earthquake free evening!

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    1. Thanks Tina! Glad you took the time and stopped by! The brulee top is my favorite and I'm so glad that people are loving them! ;)

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  6. These look spectacular! I've bookmarked this to try asap! ps: I love my torch too and will give any excuse to get it out :p

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    1. Nish-
      Those without a torch really do not know what they are missing....so much fun!! :)

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  7. Oooh now that looks amazing! Creme brulee and cheesecake combined? I would adore that!

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  8. Can't believe you had an earthquake OMG OMG OMG! How scary!
    But if your bars caused this world to shake with their awesomeness, then I definitely understand - perfect combo of desserts :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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    1. Hee Hee!!! Thanks so much!!! I have to agree these awesome bars are shaking things up! Glad you liked the post, I'm enjoying my shaky-free night! ;)

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  9. Becky.
    First time here! My name is Becky, too, and I have a baking and cooking blog. I love these cheesecake bars and the Brulee tops, Pure genius! I have to make these soon. Great pics!

    I live in Illinois and last Spring we had a 4.0 earthquake, at 5 am, too. First time ever for me, so I know how unsettling they can be, especially in your area!

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    1. Hi Becky,
      Thanks for stopping by! I visited your blog as well.....your coconut cream pie is to die for!

      Hope you have a fabulous (and earthquake free) day!!

      Becky

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    2. Becky,
      I'll be back visiting your blog:)

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  10. Now I'm feeling incredibly whiney for being annoyed that my husband's alarm woke me up at a quarter past five! Hope you're safe and sound and can get a good night sleep tonight to recover!

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    1. I don't sleep anyways so it was not a problem! I am fully recovered and full of chocolate and other yummy goodies!

      Thanks so much for the well wishes! :)

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  11. Becky, I believe this is the first time I'm commenting, though it isn't the first time I'm visiting your blog! this recipe looks SO delicious!! I can't wait to give it a try!

    Jen

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    1. Jen- You are my second "Jen" to comment on this post!! :) so glad you liked them....they are my new favorite!!

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  12. Somehow I didn't even feel the earthquake - I'm such a heavy sleeper. But 4.0 is a lot bigger than the past few 2.0 and 3.0's we had a few months ago!

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    1. I felt it all the way over here in Dublin, woke me up! Still not so bad after living through the 1989 quake!

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  13. Becky Becky Becky! Send me an e-mail, I have an exciting offer for you!

    l.gibbons.07@aberdeen.ac.uk

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  14. Truly sinfully delicious! Great post Becky!

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  15. O i love this cheese cake, its very very very delicious.

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