Creamy Lemon Squares

From one of my favorite chef's Anna Olsen

The lemon cream-cheese filling used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Creamy Lemon Squares Filling.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• ½ pkg (4 oz) Kraft Philadelphia™ hard cream cheese, at room temperature . Brick
• 1 ½ cups (360 ml) sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 ml) finely grated lemon zest
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) baking powder
• ½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice
• 4 eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175°C). Grease and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with parchment paper so that the paper comes up the sides.
2. To prepare the base, pulse the flour and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is an even, crumbly texture, but the dough should not come together. Press this into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the base turns golden around the edges. Prepare the filling while the crust cools.
4. To make the filling, pulse the cream cheese with ½ of the sugar in the food processor until smooth. Add the remaining 1cup (240 ml) of sugar, the flour, lemon zest, and baking powder, then blend. Add the lemon juice and eggs and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor once or twice.
5. Pour the filling over the cooled crust.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are set and just show signs of soufflé-ing a little, but the centre should still have a bit of a jiggle to it. Cool the squares to room temperature, then chill for at least 3 hours before slicing.

The square can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.