Review: Buttercrunch Lemon Cheese Bars

[Wienie]

I know there had been a number of reviews on this already, but I just wanted to post that the crust turned out great. Some reviews stated that the crust was almost too hard to cut. I let it cool down at room temp, cut it into squares and then refrigerated it. It worked great. Wonderful lemony flavor without being too tart. Brought it into work today and they were gobbled up.
A definate keeper.
Jeanne

***Yeah, I just realized I'm a bona fide Member***

[This message has been edited by Wienie (edited 01-22-2001).]

[Nullsy]

Congratulations on your new membership status! I'm slowly working on mine. I have a question about the crust. It calls for mace or nutmeg, which did you use? I don't have mace in my spice cabinet but I would gladly add it if it has a good flavor.

[Wienie]

I actually have both spices, but I used the nutmeg in the recipe. It really makes the crust. I'm not really too familiar with mace. I think it may have the same spiciness as nutmeg. Maybe someone else on the bb can answer that.
Either way, this was a great treat.
Jeanne

[SandyM]

From Penzeys:

Mace, the lace-like, dried covering of the nutmeg, is a sweet and flavorful spice well worth using. Mace has a softer flavor than nutmeg, and for a nice change of pace it can be used in place of nutmeg in any recipe. Blade Mace can also be added to clear soups and sauces where nutmeg powder might spoil the appearance. Mace is a traditional flavoring for doughnuts and hot dogs.

The Spice Island of Grenada grows the finest nutmeg in the world. Until recently, this Grenadian nutmeg could not be commercially ground because of its extremely high and flavorful essential oil content. We are very fortunate to be able to offer this nutmeg, whole and ground. When using the ground Grenadian nutmeg, use 2 /3 of what the recipe calls for, as it is very potent. Both Grenadian and East Indian ground nutmeg are
easy to use and flavorful-perfect for sausage-making, syrups, and fresh fruit. The whole nutmeg are very large, about 80 per lb. (5-6 nutmeg per oz.), making them easier to hold and grate by hand. Ten seconds of
rubbing on a small-holed grater will yield 1 /2 tsp. of fresh, flavorful nutmeg which is the perfect topping for cheese dishes- from sauces, to quiche, to mac 'n' cheese. Nutmeg is a must for barbecue sauce. In
Europe, nutmeg is used atop most baked goods, hot beverages, and in cream sauces for noodles.

Probably wayyyyyyyyyyy more information than you needed, but there you have it.

[Nullsy]

Thanks for all the info Sandy! Now I can't decide between the two and I'd really like to try the mace. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make two batches-one with each spice and do a comparison.

[Nullsy]

Thanks for all the info Sandy! Now I can't decide between the two and I'd really like to try the mace. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make two batches-one with each spice and do a comparison.

[Nullsy]

Originally posted by Nullsy:
Thanks for all the info Sandy! Now I can't decide between the two and I'd really like to try the mace. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make two batches-one with each spice and do a comparison.
Something strange is going on with my computer and this posted twice, sorry!

[penroma]

Wienie- This is off the subject, but how do you become a member? I just started the bb last week and wondered the difference between 'junior member' and 'member'. Thanks for letting me side track.

[Marcie]

After your 50th post, you'll be a member. Welcome to the board!

[Wienie]

Sandy, thanks for the info on these spices.
Nullsy, I'm with you. I think I'll try another batch for the Superbowl with mace this time. My co-workers really loved the crust. Let me know what you think using both.
Jeanne

[Cindy Rafferty]

I have made these twice using nutmeg. I'm had no difficulty with the crust: I coated the pan well with cooking spray, and also let the crust cool a bit before adding on the topping. These are nice with the orange flavoring, too. Enjoy!

[Shirley Panek]

I have to agree that these are yummy! They are so rich that it's hard to believe it's cottage cheese in there and not cream cheese. I will definitely be making these again.

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Shirley

[luv2cook]

I asked the same question about member and jr member. After you've posted 50 times, you become a Member!

O, I made these with mace. Tasted great. I guess I didn't cook my crust long enough because I would have liked the crust to have been harder but definitely a keeper

[buddie]

a hint i found was to only bake the crust for 15 minutes, not the 25 called for. they came out great and i will be replacing my lemon bars with these!

[56grapeape]

Iam finally baking these right now!

Do i have to really wait 8 hrs for them to chill, till i can eat one? lol! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Can't wait though!

rachelle

[laurenc]

I am dying to try these bars - What issue is the recipe from?

[Joyce]

I took some hints from the BB and cooked the crust for 15 min. instead of 20. I don't know if it makes any difference, but when I do these type of crusts I always compress heavily with a metal spatula to flatten. The bars turned out wonderfully. Hard to even believe the base is cottage cheese. I also used double calcium cottage cheese, so I even felt virtuous eating them. Definitely a keeper. Took about 10 minutes from start to oven. All ingredients on hand except fresh lemons and cottage cheese.

[goldilocks]

I made these over the weekend for a Superbowl gathering, and they were delicious. I will definetly make them again. I did not have a problem with the crust being too tough. I patted the crust firmly with a spatula to make it even. One thing that might have helped too is that I baked in a glass pan and reduced the oven temperature by 25 degrees, which I normally never do when I use a glass dish, but I was extra careful based on past reviews. Do try these!

[Linda in MO]

Another enthusiastic thumbs up! I made these last night and we thought they were fantastic! I must confess that I used full fat cottage cheese though. It's what I had on hand. Also, I used light brown sugar instead of dark (don't like dark) and I used mace. The mace gave it a subtle but good flavor. And, I love lemon zest so I used 1 1/2 to 2 T. I had no problems with the crust. I baked it for 15 min. instead of 20 and unlike some others I softly patted the crust in the pan instead of smashing it down hard. My husband's only complaint was that I didn't make enough of them. Yum!

Here's the recipe...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Butter Crunch Lemon-Cheese Bars

Recipe By :Cooking Light Magazine. Jan/Feb 2001. Page: 98
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Crust:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
Filling:
1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 large egg white

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. 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 1 cup flour to butter mixture, and beat at low speed until well-blended. Press crust into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

3. 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 degrees for 25 minutes or until set (the edges will get lightly browned), and cool. Cover and chill for 8 hours.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 bar).

[laden]

These were absolutely wonderful! I had these for dessert following the Pan-Seared Chicken with Artichokes and Pasta (3/01)...What a great meal!

[misstapioca]

i made these little wonders last night. I too gently pressed the crust into the pan hoping it would be tender. I still ended up with it being difficult to cut(too firm) but if you eat them with your fingers instead of a fork the crust is just perfect. It doesn't fall apart or leave any crumbs behind. I am stunned that cottage cheese is the main ingredient in the filling!

[Donna P]

Made these over the weekend and must say that they are easy and delicious. Next time I will make the crust in the food processor to save cleanup and will use key limes to see how that one tastes!

[kwormann]

ohhhhh key liiiimesssssss. one of the all time best foods in the earth....I may try that too http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

kim

[HARRYET]

Kim,

You crack me up ~~~ http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif Ann

[makedah]

I made these yesterday, and they were amazing. I think that cutting before refrigeration is probably a good idea. I had problems cutting (after cooling only about 4 hours -- I couldn't wait!), but it wasn't terribly tough. I also didn't press my crust down hard.

I used nutmeg because i didn't feel like buying mace. I will definitely make these again and again. They were very refreshing. Would be great for a summer lunch party.

The recipe was already fairly easy. To make cleanup easier, next time I will make the crust AND the filling in the food processor.

[catharine]

After devouring the lemon version, I made a batch with lime and with orange. They were both good, but not as good as the lemon.

Also, I lined the pans with foil. This worked out so well. The next day I just lifted them out and sliced on the counter. I highly recommend this method.

[makedah]

Originally posted by catharine:
After devouring the lemon version, I made a batch with lime and with orange. They were both good, but not as good as the lemon.


How do you all get rid of all this food so quickly? You must have several mouths at your homes to gobble this up. I made mine on Saturday, it's Monday and I STILL have half the recipe left!

I will definitely try the foil trick next time.

[catharine]

This is a true problem - I have a fridge full of these bars at the moment. I love to bake, and snack but maybe one or two bars a day (and my husband won't eat anything creamy or cheesy [his loss]. With the first batch of lemon bars I packed most of them up and brought them to my mom and my sister. I am at a loss for what to do with all of these.

Do you think I could freeze these?

I am in a baking phase right now (I received a kitchen aid mixer for my birthday two weeks ago and I have been baking like crazy). I have sucessfully frozen the banana pound cake and cheesecake, but what about these bars?

Any tips on freezing desserts in general would be appreciated.

[laden]

These freeze great! I tried it the other night and just set them out for about 30 minutes to defrost and gobbled them up.

[schuh]

Glad to hear the freezing tip. I love making things in advance.

One question: I'm planning to make these for my moms group next week. Is this something you eat with your fingers or with a fork?

[Linda in MO]

We ate these with our hands. They are sooo good!

[makedah]

I ate mine with a fork. But I don't eat with my hands much. I prefer utensils.

[schuh]

I am sooo sad to be the lone dissenter on this recipe! I made them for my moms group tonight. My only changes are that I doubled the batch to a 13 by 9 pan and therefore baked them longer. I also used light brown (rather than dark brown) sugar in the crust. I used mace rather than nutmeg. Well, maybe it was because I used mace, but that flavor totally overpowered the rest of the flavors, including the lemon! The crust was a little hard to cut through, but not noticeably hard to eat. Because I was not confident about the recipe, I whipped up a batch of butterscotch bars. What my moms group ate spoke for themselves: most of the lemon bars were left but most of the butterscotch bars were devoured. My husband gave the lemon bars a 5 out of 10 (he gives the butterscotch bars an 11). Sigh ... I know we have all tastes but it just seems strange that we didn't like these while just about everyone loved them!

[TIGBOO]

schuh... you are not alone!...My cooking group made these and I gave them a 3! (and I was being generous!)

[JA]

aaahhhhh schuh...you're not alone...these just didn't cut it at my house. Julie

[schuh]

Well, although I'm still disappointed, at least I'm not nuts (or a really bad baker).

[carolyn.1]

I made these lemon bars Saturday..they were in my "to try" folder. They are excellent, especially for Springtime. They are so light and refreshing. The lemon really gives a good taste to your palette. I would not have tried these if it weren't for your great previous reviews...thank you all for posting!:D

Carolyn

[Jewel]

This recipe is one of our favorites, and I've now made them as Lime Bars as well as Lemon. We loved the Lime, but found we needed to double the lime juice and zest to give it the same kick as Lemon, and I also dripped 2 or 3 drops of green food coloring into the mixture to give it that Lime Look! :p These are a keeper at our place!

[valchemist]

I love these bars too. They are best lemon bars I have had (low fat or not). Yummy!

The hint of nutmeg in the crust makes a surprisingly good contribution to the overall taste. I thought that was an odd ingredient in a recipe like this, but when I tasted them -- wow!