2 1/2cupsOld Fashioned Oats *Minute Oats/Quick Cooking Oats will work also
1cup Brown Sugar
1cupwhite sugar
2tspbaking powder
1tspsalt
1 1/4cupbutter, COLD, cubed/diced into small pieces*salted or unsalted - I always use salted
Lemon Cheesecake Ingredients
8oz.Cream Cheese, room temperature *do not use fat free
3largeEgg yolks*only the yolk
1tspVanilla extract
28oz. (2 cans)Sweetened Condensed Milk
1cupLemon Juice*bottled concentrate works great or use fresh squeezed
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350℉. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper leaving extra parchment paper hanging over all sides. This will help you lift the bars out of the pan when it is time to cut and serve them. See notes.You can grease the pan instead of using parchment paper.
Crumble Bottom and Topping
In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or you can use a hand mixer), add all of the dry crumble ingredients. DO NOT ADD THE BUTTER. Mix the dry ingredients together on low speed.
Next add the cubed butter pieces and mix it on low. Increase the speed to medium speed as needed. It will seem like the butter will not mix in but keep mixing and it eventually will. See blog post above for pics of the process.*If you just can’t get it mixed with the mixer, use your hands (wash them first)! It will be a dry crumble but slightly moist from the butter. It will not be like cake batter or cookie dough. If you squeeze a little ball of it in your hand, the ball should stay formed and stick together.
Take out 4 cups of the crumble (put it in a separate bowl or on a plate) and set it aside. This will be your topping.
Press the remaining crumble mixture into the parchment paper (or greased) 9x13 baking dish. Set it aside while you make the lemon cheesecake filling.
Lemon Cheesecake
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or a hand mixer), mix/beat your room temperature cream cheese until it’s smooth.
Add the egg yolks, while the mixer is on low speed, adding the yolks a little at a time until fully incorporated into the cream cheese. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl as needed while it’s mixing.
Add the vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and mix it together. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl as needed while it’s mixing.
While mixing on low speed add the sweetened condensed milk. Mix until fully incorporated and then turn the speed to medium and let it mix for 2 minutes.
Turn the speed to low and add your lemon juice. Mix fully. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl if needed. The mixture will be pretty runny.
Pour the lemon cheesecake mixture on top of the pressed crumble in the 9x13 dish.
Top the lemon cheesecake with the 4 cups of crumble you set aside.
Bake the crumble bars for 30 minutes. They will be set in the middle like cheesecake and will jiggle a little bit when the pan moves.. but it will be a pretty firm jiggle. Poke a fork in the center and it should feel like a soft-firm cheesecake.
Take the bars out of the oven and let them cool completely. Place the bars in the refrigerator after they have cooled so they can “set” for at least 2 to 3 hours. Or put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
When the bars are set and ready to serve, just lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into desired sizes for serving and enjoy!
Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. (They will stay better longer in the freezer).
Notes
You can spray the pan first with cooking spray and then line the pan with parchment paper - this will help the parchment paper stick to the pan and it won’t shift and move as easily.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.