cheesecake lemon bars

Adapted from allrecipes.
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes* 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon extract 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Whisk together 1 1/2 cup flour and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking dish to form a crust.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.
4. Whisk together 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon extract in a bowl. Pour lemon mixture into the prepared crust. Skim off any bubbles from the surface of the filling. Mix the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a bowl until well blended. Whisk in 2 eggs, then spread over the lemon mixture. The mixtures will separate during baking.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set, about 30 minutes.

Optional: serve with mixed berries on top. 

*I followed this advice from the website: “I melted my butter for the crust to save time and the crust turned out perfect shortbread texture”.