This recipe for absolutely dreamy cream cheese Lemon Bars with Kit Kat Crust has the unique combination of lemon bars with a candy bar crust.
This is definitely a different kind of lemon bar recipe. And if you’re looking for a traditional lemon bars recipe, this isn’t it. But what I can tell you is that this one has a very creamy, delicious lemon filling. And if you factor in the Halloween candy bar stash that your kids bring home, the crust ingredient of Kit Kat candy bars might be easy to acquire! Either that, or plan ahead and buy Kit Kats to hand out to your trick-or-treaters (setting a few aside for this recipe).
Ingredients Needed:
- Kit Kat candy bars
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- egg
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- lemon zest
- lemon extract
- all purpose flour
- granulated white sugar
- butter
How to make Lemon Bars with Kit Kat Crust:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
PREPARE THE CRUST:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a food processor, finely chop the Kit Kat Bars. Spread evenly in the bottom of an 8×8 inch square pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Set aside.
MAKE THE FILLING:
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese on high. Add the powdered sugar and egg and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon zest, and mix well. Pour the filling evenly over the Kit Kat crust.
ADD THE TOPPING:
In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the flour, sugar, lemon extract, and softened butter until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the lemon bar filling.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned. Let cool completely; cut into bars.
Recipe Tip
Be sure to use “pure” lemon extract and not imitation. Don’t use extra actual lemon juice in place of the extract because it won’t have as intense of a lemon flavor.
How to store Kit Kat Lemon Bars:
Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. They also freeze well in a sealed container for about a month.
What I Love About This Recipe:
- I love the unexpected chocolate crust!
- It’s a good way to use up Kit Kat candy bars that are collected in your child’s Halloween stash.
- The cream cheese addition in the lemon bars makes these super decadent and delicious.
Here are a few more bars you might like to try:
PREPARE THE CRUST:
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
-
In a food processor, finely chop the Kit Kat Bars. Spread evenly in the bottom of an 8×8 inch square pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Set aside.
MAKE THE FILLING:
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese on high. Add the powdered sugar and egg and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon zest, and mix well. Pour the filling evenly over the Kit Kat crust.
ADD THE TOPPING:
-
In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the flour, sugar, lemon extract, and softened butter until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the lemon bar filling.
-
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned. Let cool completely; cut into bars.
- Lemon extract can be found at Whole Foods and other specialty markets. The imitation stuff they sell in the regular grocery stores isn’t so great.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 220kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 68mg, Potassium: 60mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 262IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.