thick & creamy lemon coconut cheesecake squares

Lemon bars are one of my absolute favorite bars to make, especially in the summertime. The flavor is so refreshing, and packs a whole lot less richness than a pan of brownies if you know what I mean. I love desserts like this that are lightened up and more of a "girly" dessert. If that's a thing? Like scones and cupcakes. Girly desserts... I don't know. 

These bars have a super thick, chewy, and buttery crust. As you can tell.  Ah.ma.zing. At first, the crust  looked a little too gloopy and the cheesecake layer, a little too thin. I honestly though "Shoot. These bars are going to fail." Fail, they did NOT. They took quite awhile to set up, so don't worry if they look to liquidy when you take them out of the oven. Throw them in the fridge for a couple hours, do your best not to dig in with a fork {which I may or may not have done.}, and all will turn out fine and dandy. 

Everyone  LOVED these and said they were one of the best things I've made. Which is great, because I seem to be getting that a lot lately :) The whole pan was devoured in under 24 hours and my mom kept picking off the cheesecake part and eating only the crust. I have to say though, the crust was my favorite part. I used tea biscuits for the crust which have a slight coconutty flavor instead of graham crackers {I don't really have much of an option.} and then added some extra shredded coconut in there as well. I kept getting little chunks of cookie and coconut mixed with the creamy lemon cheesecake. Oh my heavenly. 

These lemon coconut cheesecake bars would be great as an Easter dessert. However, I suggest eating both the crust and the cheesecake. :)

thick & creamy lemon coconut cheesecake bars

crust

3/4 c. butter, melted

3 1/4 c. crushed tea biscuits {or graham crackers}

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. shredded coconut

Prepare the dough by mixing all the ingredients together with a fork. It will seem slightly thin, but don't worry. Press the dough into a greased 9x13 in. pan and bake at 375ºF for about 10 minutes until slightly golden brown. 

cheesecake

2 c. plain cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

juice + zest of one large lemon

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the eggs and lemon. Stir until smooth. Pour into the baked crust and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned and the center has set. Refrigerate for 2+ hours and cut into squares before serving.