Lemon Cheesecake Creme Brulee Bars

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8 glass dish with parchment paper and lightly spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, flour and vanilla until dough forms. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared dish. Set aside.

In another bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again. Add the egg, lemon zest and juice. Mix until the mixture starts to thicken, 20-30 seconds. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.

Pour this over the top of the cookie bottom and smooth the top. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheesecake is set completely. Cool, then refrigerate.

Cut the chilled dessert into 16 squares and separate the squares. Sprinkle the tops of each square with 1 teaspoon of sugar and spread the sugar around with your finger to evenly distribute it. Use a brulee torch to brown the tops until the sugar melts and turns an amber color. (If you don’t have a torch, place them on a pan and put the pan under the broiler until nicely browned).

Return squares to fridge until ready to serve.