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square of lemon white chocolate cream bar on white plate with bite taken out

Lemon White Chocolate Cream Bars

Yield: 20 servings
Prep Time: 7 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Lemon Layer:

  • 2 cups cold water
  • 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 4 lemons - zest before juicing
  • ⅓ cup (57 g) cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 drop yellow food coloring, optional (see note)

Crust:

  • 2 ½ cups (250 g) crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 16 rectangles)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated or brown sugar
  • ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, melted

White Chocolate Cream Layer:

  • 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips or bar, chopped (NOT almond bark or candy coating)
  • 16 ounces (454 g) cream cheese, softened (see note)
  • 1 ½ cups (171 g) powdered sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¾ cup heavy cream, chilled (see note)

Instructions 

  • For the lemon layer: in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cold water, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken and large bubbles pop at the surface. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes (it's important to continue letting it simmer so it will set up as it cools).
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and butter. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface, and place in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
  • For the crust: preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9X13-inch pan with parchment paper or foil (for easier removal and cleanup; optional). Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until evenly combined. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and set. Set aside to cool completely.
  • For the cream filling: melt the white chocolate until just melted and smooth; don't over heat or it can seize and scorch. I use the microwave at 50% power for 1-minute increments, stirring in between. Set aside.
  • Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and mix with a handheld electric or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the melted white chocolate (if it's overly warm, let cool until just slightly warm) and mix again until well-combined.
  • Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix until evenly combined, 1-2 minutes. (See note below about the heavy cream.) Add the heavy cream to the batter and mix on medium speed until the batter is thick and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
  • Spread the cream layer evenly on top of the cooled crust. Chill for 1-2 hours until the cream layer sets up a bit.
  • Once the lemon layer is completely cooled, whisk to recombine and spread evenly over the cream layer. Chill in the refrigerator until the lemon layer is set up, 4-6 hours.
  • Cut into squares and serve. Include a fresh lemon slice or twist, if desired.

Notes

Food Coloring: the yellow food coloring is completely optional. In the post, there's a side by side picture of the dessert made using yellow food coloring in the lemon layer and without. If you want a vibrant yellow layer that screams lemon, a drop of food coloring will help. Otherwise, the topping will be pale and somewhat colorless (tastes delicious either way).
White Chocolate: white chocolate chips can be a little finicky when melting. If using white chocolate chips, melt on low heat and stir often until just melted; don't over heat. I almost always use the thin Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bars (usually in the chocolate chip aisle). They melt really well. Don't use almond bark or candy coating - the flavor will be fakey and 'off' and far too sweet.
Cream Cheese: I have used both full fat and low fat cream cheese in different batches. Full fat cream cheese works much better - richer, creamier flavor and thicker consistency. The low fat cream cheese filling was much softer and less set up.
Heavy Cream: for this recipe, I add the heavy cream unwhipped directly to the batter and it thickens as it mixes with the other ingredients. I use 40% fat heavy whipping cream from Costco. If you are using heavy cream with a lower fat percentage, you may need to whip it to soft peaks before folding into the cream cheese mixture.