Creamy Lemon Squares

photo by:kraft

Lemon, show us your sunny pop of color and your intense burst of flavor. Where would we, and these better-for-you creamy squares, be without you?

time

prep:

25 min

total:

3 hr 23 min

servings

total:

16 servings

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What You Need

Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 3/4 cup)

1/2

cup flour

1/4

cup packed brown sugar

1/4

cup cold margarine

pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened

cup granulated sugar

eggs

Tbsp. flour

Tbsp. lemon zest, divided

1/4

cup fresh lemon juice

1/4

tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder

tsp. powdered sugar

Make It

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

LINE 8-inch square pan with foil. Mix first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Cut in margarine with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min.

BEAT Neufchatel and granulated sugar with mixer until well blended. Add eggs and 2 Tbsp. flour; mix well. Blend in 1 Tbsp. zest, juice and baking powder; pour over crust.

BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 2 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and remaining zest before serving.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Substitute 1 Tbsp. each lemon, lime and orange zest for the 3 Tbsp. lemon zest.

Note from the Kraft Kitchens

For a softer crust, reduce the crust baking time from 15 min. to 5 min.

Note

You should get about 1 Tbsp. zest and 2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon.

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lorifitz2

posted:7/30/2009

I really liked this recipe! I didn't put the additional lemon zest on top, and I didn't miss it. Also, the crushed vanilla wafers came to slightly less than 1 cup ... Next time, I think I'll try that amount of graham cracker crumbs for the crust instead.

naplesmanatee

posted:7/23/2009

A family favorite! Since we all like lemon, I add a little extra lemon juice and grated peel. Quick and easy to make.

anniec12

posted:6/25/2009

Quick and easy recipe. I can't make it often enough to please everyone.

Paularicardo

posted:6/18/2009

Great recipe loved by EVERYONE! The how to video was easy to follow and great!!!

jmwoolums

posted:6/9/2009

EXCELLENT! Quick and easy. Perfect lemon squares!

kodiak39

posted:6/8/2009

This is so good! I even just bought a graham cracker crust to make it easier and it turned out great! Rave reviews from even my dad!

dejrfan

posted:5/26/2009

I took these to work just because. They were a hit! I added more lemon zest to make it extra lemony & it was so good. I added more juice also just to use it all from one lemon.

pielover44

posted:5/26/2009

This recipe is awesome. WE LOVE this recipe and make it often. Its perfect for spring or summer parties or just a dessert to eat with friends. I find this recipe is even better when i tried it with using a shortbread crust (you can find the recipe most anywhere) instead of the wafers. Its easier because the wafers don't crumble up and the bars stay together better. Definetely a cool, creamy combinatin that will be everyone's favorite!

nelliek80

posted:5/26/2009

I took these to a group dinner and they were a hit. I opted to bake the crust for 5 minutes instead of 15 as it suggested near the bottom, and it was perfect. Another plus was that in my search for a lemon bar recipe it was hard to find one that didn't call for 2-3 cups of sugar. This one had the least amount at 1 cup.

jennifercicerchi

posted:5/17/2009

This is the 3rd time I have made this recipe...and I get rave reviews every time! This time I tried to make it even healthier, I used Splenda brown sugar in the crust, and 1/2 real sugar, 1/2 splenda sugar, and also fat free cream cheese. Nobody even noticed the changes!