Yummy and Easy

…two words that describe me….oh…um…. I mean, two words that are my favorite criteria for recipes. Yeah, that’s what I mean….

The other day, I came across this recipe in an advertisement for Kraft foods. The picture of the finished product was delightful and enticing, and the recipe seemed very easy and straightforward. Oh, and small - the end result wasn’t enough to feed half of the NFL and, being that I’m trying to be mindful of serving sizes and quantities (and that I have a relatively small family with relatively diminutive appetites), I’m all over that.

Seriously, the whole thing took ten minutes to put together (the longest part of the process is the “chill for two hours or overnight” bit), I did it ALL in the food processor, and the little nibble I took off the corner before I stashed it in the fridge for the setting-up period was fantastically yummy.

Creamy Lemon Squares

20 reduced fat ‘Nilla Wafers (I used a store brand with the same results)

1/2 c flour (you could even use whole wheat flour here, if you’re looking for a little more “healthy” in your sweeties)

1/4 packed brown sugar

1/4 c (1/2 stick) cold butter cut into pieces

1 pkg. (8 oz) Neufchatel cheese, softened (or cream cheese, if you want the full-fat version)

1 c sugar (I used about 3/4 c with good results, but I’m after more tart than sweet)

2 eggs

2 T flour

3 T lemon zest

1/4 c lemon juice (I used a little more - see above)

1/4 t baking powder

preheat the oven to 350°

~Make the crust; blitz the cookies until they’re well pulverized, mix in the flour and sugar, then add the butter chunks and process until the whole resembles coarse crumbs. Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment or foil, letting the ends hang over the edges of the pan so you can use the paper to lift the dessert out later. Press the crumbs into the pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

~While the crust is baking, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of the same food processor you used to make the crust. Blend these together until they’re smooth, then add the eggs. When the eggs are completely incorporated, add the four, followed by 2 T of the lemon peel, the juice, and the baking powder.

~Pour the batter over the crust and put back in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the center is just set. Allow the bars to cool on a rack, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator two hours or overnight. Use the ends of the parchment to lift the dessert out of the pan (if you did it right, you won’t even have to wash the pan! How cool is that?!) and cut into 16 bars (I used a wheel-type pizza cutter, but a really big knife would work, too). Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and you’re off!

We had these for dessert after dinner a few nights ago, and I’m telling you for sure that they are very yummy and very easy which is, of course, my favorite combination.