Gluten-Free Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Bars

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Using an 8 x 10 baking dish, add in all of the ingredients for the crust. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work all of the ingredients together until large crumbs form. This will take a few minutes.

Reserve 2 cups of the mixture. Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the baking dish. Press crumbs down firmly. You may use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to help. Pierce several times with a fork.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Place the lemon juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Continue to reduce until the mixture reduces to 1 tablespoon. Be sure to stir frequently and adjust the temperature to prevent burning. The juice will begin to get a bit syrupy as it reduces. Be watchful. Allow to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk and egg; mix until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides as needed. Add reduced lemon juice and mix until smooth.

Spread mixture over the crust. Top with the reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving. I think that these bars are best chilled in the refrigerator completely, then served from there.

You may top with a bit of whipped cream if desired.