Lemon Cookie Bars
With the fourth of July just two days away, I’m in full-on food planning mode. I know some people will be enjoying their day off inside a cool air-conditioned room, but we’re sticking with the traditional BBQ at our neighbor’s house. I’m planning to bring a couple desserts and still working out the other details.
If you’re like me and trying to finalize plans for what to bring to your next get together, consider bringing these Lemon Cookie Bars. The lemon curd in the frosting provides a great subtle citrus flavor on top of a cookie bar base. The frosting is pretty liquidy as you can see in the pictures, so I would recommend making this a day in advance and storing them in the fridge so the frosting can set up.
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Lemon Cookie Bars
Yield: 16 bars
Ingredients:
For the Bars
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
For the Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup lemon curd
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp sprinkles
Directions:
For the Bars
Heat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
Mix in egg and almond extract; stir in flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt until soft dough forms.
Spread dough in bottom of a greased 8×8-inch square pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the Frosting
Place cream cheese and lemon curd in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth.
Spread frosting evenly over cooled sugar cookie bars and top evenly with sprinkles. Cut into 16 bars.
Recipe from Cake Batter and Bowl
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
WOW – I would like to have a piece of that cake as soon as possible! looks beautiful and delicious!
This cake looks beautiful and I love the addition of toasted coconut!
I love love cakes with coconut. So delicious.
Beautiful cake!
Totally agree – the more layers the better! The cake looks stunning!
Had I been at your dinner party you wouldn’t have had to cook anything. I would have just completely indulged in this gorgeous cake!
This cake looks incredible! coconut and lemon are two of my favorite flavors; I’m glad you don’t have to choose one or the other with this recipe.
This sounds wonderful. Coconut with lemon curd, yummmm!
This looks fantastic – so springy and beautiful, and absolutely delish 🙂
what a wonderful cake!
Beautiful cake! I’ve been craving a coconut cake, but I know too many people who don’t like coconut cake that if I made it I wouldn’t have anyone to share. Boo.
ooh, fabulous. love the lemon curd-coconut combo, and in a layer cake, fun!!
OF COURSE 4 is better than 2!!! This looks amazing….I love the idea of lemon and coconut together-and it’s gorgeous!
Love lemon curd, love coconut, especially love a cake that lets me “frost” the sides with ease. This looks so yummy!!
Such a delicious cake! I honestly didn’t know a 6 inch was half of a 9 inch….thank you 🙂
I told my girlfriend I would bake her a cake for her birthday this Sunday !!! I got lemon curd and coconut stuck in my brain, so I started googling… which led me to your page !!! This recipie looks almost perfect !!
Couple questions…
Do you think the coconut extract was too strong for the cake, because you also have the browned coconut pcs too? I was considering vanilla bean cake, lemon curd and toasted coconut on the outside… but perhaps that wouldn’t be enough coconut flavour…. your thoughts?
Lastly… what did you use as the frosting to keep the toasted coconut on? It looks like whipping cream…. ?!?!?
Thanks !!!
Kelly
P.S
This is the first cake I’ve ever baked !!! lol