Lemon Cookie Bars

Lemon Cookie Bars have lots of lemon flavor and a sweet glaze. They are buttery, tangy and tart. Such a great balance between sweet and tart.

These bars make a really great summer dessert. They are sunshine on a plate. For lemon flavor, there’s a combination of lemon juice and zest. There’s just a little cream cheese in the filling and glaze for a touch of creaminess.

This is a truly easy dessert and only minimal equipment is needed. You’ll need a large bowl, rubber spatula, whisk, plus a 9-inch square baking dish.

HOW TO MAKE LEMON COOKIE BARS:

1. Make the batter. First whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, and cream cheese. Don’t worry if the cream cheese doesn’t completely mix in. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. And finally, mix in the flour mixture.
2. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake for 32 to 36 minutes.
3. Top with glaze and add sprinkles if desired.

RECIPE TIPS:

I highly recommend using fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of store-bought bottled juice.

Zest the lemons before you juice them. It’s very hard to zest a lemon that has been juiced. I’ve made that mistake a few times.

Cold lemons are hard to juice. To make juicing lemons easier, microwave whole lemons for 15 to 20 seconds. Let the lemons cool some and then slice them in half and squeeze the juice out.

Parchment paper can be used instead of aluminum foil to line the baking dish

Try These Other Lemon Desserts:

• Lemon Icebox Cake– a cool and creamy no-bake dessert.
• Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake– with a delicious lemon glaze.
• Lemon Chess Pie– such an easy pie and perfect for summer.
• Lemon Lush– 4 delicious layers!

Lemon Cookie Bars

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 32 minutes mins

Servings: 16

SaveSaved Pin Print

Lemon Cookie Bars have lots of lemon flavor and a sweet glaze. They are buttery, tangy and tart. Such a great balance between sweet and tangy.

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Save

Ingredients

Bars

• ▢ 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 6 tablespoons salted butter,, melted
• ▢ 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces and softened
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ zest from 1 lemon
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cream cheese,, softened
• ▢ 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• ▢ sprinkles,, optional

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a 9-inch baking dish with aluminum foil.

  Spray with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk sugar, melted butter, oil, and cream cheese together.
• Add egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to sugar mixture and whisk until smooth.
• Add flour mixture and mix in with a rubber spatula.

  Transfer batter to prepared pan, spreading it evenly.
• Bake for 32 to 36 minutes. Let bars cool completley before glazing.
• To make glaze, whisk together the lemon juice and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth. If too thick, add a little more lemon juice or a teaspoon of milk.

  Spread glaze over bars. Add sprinkles if desired. Let glaze set before cutting into squares.

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag us @spicysouthernkitchen on social media!

Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.