Lavender Lemon Cheesecake Squares Recipes

LAVENDER LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x12 inch baking dish.
• Make lavender sugar by blending the sugar and 2 teaspoons lavender buds in a blender; blend until the lavender is powdered.
• Blend together with an electric mixer 1/4 cup of the lavender sugar, butter, coconut oil, 2 cups flour, and salt in a bowl until a dough forms; press into the bottom of the prepared dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top begins to turn golden brown; about 15 minutes.
• While the dough bakes, mix together the remaining lavender sugar, 1/4 cup flour, eggs, lemon juice, lemon extract, and 1/2 teaspoon lavender buds; pour over the baked crust and return to the oven to bake until the center is set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely and dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

LAVENDER CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• CRUST: Butter an 8" square baking dish.
• In a bowl cream the butter and brown sugar together. Stir in the flour, pecans and lavender.
• *Reserve* 1 cup of the crust mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
• FILLING: While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by beating together the white sugar and cream cheese. Next beat in the egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Pour the filling into the baked crust then sprinkle evenly with the reserved crust topping.
• Bake 25 minutes. Remove from rack and cool 10 minutes. To serve, cut into squares and place on cake platter. Garnish with fresh lavender sprigs if desired.
• Keep stored in refrigerator; covered well.

LAVENDER LEMON BARS

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar; Add the flour, almonds, lavender and lemon peel; beat until crumbly.
• Pat into an ungreased 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking dish; bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in another small mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, eggs and lemon juice; beat until frothy; pour over HOT crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown; cool on wire rack, dust with powdered sugar; refrigerated leftovers.

LAVENDER LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Add the flour, almonds, lavender and lemon zest; beat until crumbly. Pat into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. , Meanwhile, in another small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, eggs and lemon juice; beat until frothy. Pour over hot crust. Return to oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• For the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with the baking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing at least 2 inches of overhang on the two long sides. Lightly coat the parchment with the baking spray.
• Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor or gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Add the melted butter and pulse until evenly moistened. Press the mixture about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared cake pan, then press to cover the bottom evenly. Bake until the edges just become golden and the crust is fragrant, 8 to 9 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
• For the filling: Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
• Use your fingers to rub together the sugar, lemon zest and salt in a small bowl until the mixture is fragrant. Gradually add the sugar mixture to the cream cheese on low speed, then raise the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl, then beat for another few seconds to combine.
• Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla on low speed until combined. Mix in half of the beaten eggs and until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and paddle well and then mix in the remaining half of the beaten eggs on low speed just until combined.
• Pour the batter over the freshly baked warm crust and spread smooth. Place the lemon curd in a resealable plastic bag and snip a corner. Pipe lines of the lemon curd across the batter (alternately, spoon small dollops of curd across the batter.) Use a toothpick to swirl the curd and batter together slightly.
• Place the baking pan in a slightly larger baking pan or roasting pan. Place in the center of the oven. Very carefully pour about 1 inch of steaming hot water into the larger pan to create a water bath. Gently slide the oven rack back in place and close the door. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the center barely jiggles, 42 to 45 minutes. The temperature at the center of the cheesecake should be about 150 degrees F.
• Once baked, turn off the oven, prop open the door and allow the cheesecake to cool down inside the oven for 45 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before refrigerating for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve, use the parchment overhang to pull the cheesecake out of the pan. Peel down the sides of the parchment and cut into 24 bars. Serve immediately or store tightly covered for up to 3 days.