Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
Butter crust:
⅓ cup butter, softened
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground mace or nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable cooking spray

Lemon filling:
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp lemon zest
3½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1 egg white

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350̊F. Prepare crust: Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, beating at low speed until well blended. Press mixture on bottom of an 8 inch square pan coated with cooking spray. 

Bake at 350̊F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: Process cottage cheese in a food processor 1 minute or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add granulated sugar and next 6 ingredients, and process 30 seconds or until well blended. Pour filling over prepared crust.

Bake at 350̊F for 25 minutes or until set (edges will be lightly browned). Cool 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours. Cut into bars. Garnish with lemon rind curl.

For different flavor profile use fresh orange juice and zest instead of lemon.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Total time: about 9 hours 35 minutes
Serves 8