Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Bars

My new favorite time of day is the evening. First, it means that I get to snuggle with my sweet girl while she has her bottle and falls asleep. Then it means that I get go downstairs, sit on the couch, watch whatever I want on TV, and eat dessert. And lately, dessert has been desperately needed. Oh, and wine too.

While I am grateful that she only wakes up once in the night these days, she pretty much refuses to take a nap during the day. She might take maybe 2 30-minute naps and that’s it. And for whatever reason lately, she has been super needy and crabby. She wants to be held a lot. Lots of drooling and chewing. Perhaps she is about to start teething? Whatever it is, she is giving us a run for our money. By the time we get her down finally, it kind of feels like I have been run over with a truck. How can such a tiny little person cause two grown adults to be so tired?!

Ok, back to wanting a lot of dessert.

Today I am giving you cheesecake. And it’s only about 100 calories per square. Oh yes, it is true. I wouldn’t lie to you guys! If I am going to need so many desserts to help cope with exhaustion, they need to be low cal. These Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Bars are so dang yummy! They are made with reduced fat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and less sugar compared to regular cheesecake. My biggest challenge? Not eating 10 at once!

Print

Yield: About 16 bars

Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours 40 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Enjoy cheesecake without all the guilt! These Skinny Lemon Cheesecake Bars are perfectly creamy, sweet, and bursting with lemon!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (or Neufchâtel cheese), softened
• 3/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt (plain or lemon flavored)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (depending on how strong of a lemon flavor you want)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil with some overhang on the side.
2.  In a bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well-combined. Press the crumbs into the lined baking dish. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Set aside to make filling.
3. Beat the softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl for about 1 minute. Beat in the yogurt, sugar, egg whites, and the flour for about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the vanilla extract. Pour the filling into the baking dish over the crust. 
4. Bake the bars for 20 minutes. Cover the pan with foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 25 minutes. Then store in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours before cutting.

Notes

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g

Related posts:

Skinny Marble Cheesecake Bars Skinny Coconut Cheesecake Bars Skinny Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars