Butter Crunch Lemon-Cheese Bars

A buttery, crunchy pastry crust forms the base for a tangy lemon filling. You can substitute fresh orange juice and grated orange rind for lemon, if you wish. These are best served chilled.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 bar)

Ingredients

• 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

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

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° for 20 minutes.

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.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

281 (29% from fat)

Fat:

9g (sat 5.2g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

6.7g

Carbohydrate:

44.5g

Fiber:

0.5g

Cholesterol:

49mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

298mg

Calcium:

40mg