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Ingredients
- BASE
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 8 Tablespoons butter or margarine -- at room temperature
- 1 egg white -- for glazing
- TOPPING
- 10 ounces cream cheese -- at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 1 T. sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup plus 1 T. sour cream -- at room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 large eggs -- at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8 inch square pan.
For the base, process the flour and confectioners sugar in a food processor for several seconds. Add the butter and process until the dough comes together, about 20 to 30 seconds. Pat the dough into the pan and about 1 inch up the sides. Glaze it with egg whites: Pour the egg white on the dough and tip the pan from side to side so that the white spreads over the surface. Pour off the excess.
Bake the base about 25 minutes, until golden. Place the base in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool completely. Keep the oven on.
Meanwhile, prepare the topping: Using an electric mixer on medium-high, cream the cream cheese, granulated sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the bowl down. Add the sour cream and lemon juice and beat the mixture on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium-high until smooth and creamy, about 10 seconds. Spread topping evenly over the base.
Bake about 1 hour, until the top is slightly golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out dry. If the topping bubbles up during baking, prick the bubbles with a toothpick.
Allow the bars to cool completely on a rack.