Butter Crunch Lemon Cottage Cheese Bars. Phew! That is a long name. They actually go by Butter Crunch Lemon-Cheese Bars, but since cottage cheese is popular right now I put "Cottage" in the title. This is just another way to use it. It's a great recipe from cookbook author Greg Patent which came years ago via Cooking Light. I've been making these on and off for a while now.
Butter Crunch Lemon Cheese Bars
These bars are so good. I've been making them for years now in different shapes and forms, but this is closer to Mr. Patent's original. Speaking of which, you should look for his books because his recipes are great. My favorite is Baking in America. His wife is also a prolific writer which I found out by accident. I was reading a really good kids' non-fiction book, checked up on the author, and found out they were married! And I am really way off topic. Back to the treats.
Here's an older photo. I will take a better one soon. What happened was I didn't give the bars enough time to chill.
Chill The Bars
So yes, the bars need some time to chill. And if you have time, overnight is best. They also freeze very well. You can serve them plain or dress them up with a little whipped cream and fruit. They also work well with lime in place of lemon, so if you are a Key lime fan you can give that a try as well.
If the idea of a lemon bar appeals to you but you want something quicker and more convenient, here's another recipe called Cake Mix Lemon Cheese Bars.
Recipe
Butter Crunch Lemon Cottage Cheese Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened, do not use tub style
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 4.5 oz/127 gram
Filling:
- 1 cup low fat cottage cheese I use 2%
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 3 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg white
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-inch square metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray or line it with nonstick foil (or parchment if that's what you prefer).
- To prepare crust, place first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Add the 1 cup flour to the butter mixture, and beat at low speed until well-blended. Press crust into prepared pan and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Let cool while you make the filling.
- To prepare filling, place cottage cheese in a food processor; process 2 minutes or until smooth, scraping sides of bowl once. Add 1 cup granulated sugar and remaining ingredients, and process until well-blended. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until set (the edges will get lightly browned), and cool. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
Anna says
Holly, thanks for commenting and noting the bake time. This is an older recipe which I sometimes forget about. I definitely need to bake these again and update the photo. Glad you like the recipe!
Holly says
These take another 10 min of cooking to set but I’ve made them numerous times and the crust is always crunchy.
Squishy says
Love this recipe. I adore the flavour of lemons. Could I use cream cheese instead?
carole says
Wouldn't these be great with lime rather than lemon. Maybe key lime.
Anna says
Debbi, you are right. They're not the least bit crunchy.
Joe, I think a lot of people who read Cooking Light have made these.
Cindy, I didn't see that.
Therese, I'm not sure ricotta would be smooth enough. It would work, but might be a little grainy. If you don't have a food processor, you might want to just try it with light (reduced fat) cream cheese. You'd be giving up the nutritional value, but in the end, it's just dessert.
Joe says
I remember these! Jeff and I both liked them when we tried them out.
Debbi says
Interesting how these are called Butter CRUNCH bars when there doesn't appear to be anything in there for a CRUNCH. Unless you include the egg shells..... 🙂