Lemon Bars

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press evenly into baking dish.

For the lemon curd, melt butter and allow to cool for 5 minutes. In medium microwavable bowl, combine sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter. Microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring after each minute until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Curd will thicken more as it cools.

For the cheesecake filling, in stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Turn mixer to low and add lemon juice and egg, one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Pour cream cheese mixture over graham cracker crust.

Using lemon curd, make three lines the length of the baking dish going all the way to the edge. Use a shish kabeb stick or chop sticks to make small S’s through each line. Don’t go too deep as you do not want to disturb the crust. Bake 35–40 minutes or until set in the center.

Cool completely before slicing. For best results, refrigerate for several hours up to overnight.

Note: Lemon curd is too thick to get great swirls from. The objective here is get lemon in every bite.