Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulee Bars

Do you ever procrastinate and end up getting a whole lot more done whilst procrastinating than if you’d just sat down and done what you were meant to? On Friday night I had a 3,600-word article that I really needed to get done. I had made a reasonable dent in it, but it wasn’t even half finished. My Official Treat Taster and his mom even left the house so I’d have the required peace and quiet to finish my work before the deadline passed.

What did I end up doing? I wrote a paragraph or two then cleaned the house, cooked dinner, organized my Google timetable, made ice cream, baked bread, watched ‘The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2006’ because it had Russell Brand and Noel Fielding in it and went for a walk along the beach. Oh, and I made these Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulee Bars, too. Can’t forget about those. I just don’t understand myself sometimes – it would have been a lot easier if I had just sat down on the comfy sofa with a cup of coffee and finished my article. But instead I went on a cleaning and baking rampage whilst watching TV, then topped it off with a leisurely beach stroll.

The original recipe called for a sugar/butter/flour base which I tried but didn’t like at all. It tasted fantastic before I baked it, but when it came out of the oven it was hard and really sugary – almost like candy. In the recipe below I’ve substituted this base for an easy-to-make graham cracker base which will suit this recipe much better. The cheesecake filling is fantastic though – the lemon juice and zest swirl into the fluffy filling and add a much-needed spring zing.

Now I really need to get a move on with that article.

Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulee Bars

Recipe adapted from Lauren’s Latest

Makes 16 small bars

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups graham cracker/digestive crumbs

5 tablespoons butter

250ml softened cream cheese

400ml condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan and mix in the graham cracker/digestive crumbs until all the butter has been absorbed. Press this into the bottom of your baking dish and leave to one side.

3. Beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk, vanilla extract, egg, lemon zest and juice until thick. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the base bake for around 25 minutes, or until the cheesecake if fully set. Leave to cool at room temperature then refrigerate.

Cut into 16 squares and sprinkle each one with a little sugar. Torch the sugar topping unit it melts and turns amber. If you don’t have a mini blow-torch, just place your sugar-topped cheesecakes under the broiler.

Store the cheesecakes in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.



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