Let these Lemon-Mint Cheesecake Bars reveal your Irish side on St. Patrick’s Day. Pictured with Chocolate-Guinness Mini Cupcakes.
Lemon-Mint Cheesecake Bars
- 1¼ cups graham-cracker crumbs
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup mint jelly
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and parchment combination paper with parchment side facing up, hanging over sides of pan to create handles to lift cheesecake. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine graham-cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter, stirring until combined. Press into bottom of pan, creating a level surface.
- Bake until crust is lightly browned and firm to the touch, approximately 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
- In another medium bowl, beat cream cheese at high speed with an electric mixer until soft, creamy, and smooth. Add eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining ½ cup sugar, beating until incorporated into cream cheese.
- Spread mixture evenly over crust in prepared pan.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt mint jelly, whisking until completely smooth. Cool slightly, and then drop over cheesecake surface in 5 straight lines. Drag a chopstick, drinking straw, or knife through each line in a zigzag motion to form a pleasing swirled pattern.
- Bake until cheesecake is set and puffed, approximately 30 minutes. (A slight jiggle in the center is normal. Cheesecake will continue to cook and set after it is removed from oven.)
- Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Using foil overhang as handles, lift cheesecake from pan.
- Using a long, sharp knife, cut cheesecake into 36 square bars.
• Mint jelly swirls may settle when cheesecake cools. If settling results in unsightly gaps, melt ¼ cup jelly, place in a piping bag fitted with a small tip or in a resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, and fill gaps in green swirl, if desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour to reset swirled pattern.
3.5.3251
From Tea Celebrations, published 2012
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