I wrote this recipe a few years ago, but recently added an element of bacon for a recipe contest. That contest ended up getting cancelled, but had it not, these babies defiantely would have snagged the grand prize. They are not your grandmother’s lemon bars, that’s for sure! They have explosive flavors of lemon-lime, cream cheese, chili powder, and bacon! Food boner! Try them, if you can handle all that goodness.
Shortbread
¾ cups unsalted butter softened at room temperature and cut into small chunks.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cups finely chopped cooked, crispy bacon (optional)*
*Bacon: Cook your bacon however method you prefer as long as you make it crispy. I baked the bacon at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Soak up as much grease as possible with a paper towel. Chop in a food processor or with a knife to a very fine consistency. Measure out ¾ cup. This should be close to the entire package. Now prepare the shortbread.
Shortbread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl attached to an electric mixer or with a hand held mixer beat the chunks of butter with the flour, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the bacon. Spread the dough onto a 9×13 inch greased pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Prepare the filling.
Filling
8 large eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
Beat the eggs and sugar. Stir in the lemon and lime juice, chili powder, and flour. Set aside while you prepare the cream cheese swirl.
Cream Cheese Swirl (optional)
4 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
In a separate bowl with an electric mixer blend the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until combined and smooth. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated and there are no lumps prepare a piping bag. You don’t need a tip. You can even use a plastic baggie. Put a spoonful of cream cheese mix into a corner of a bag, twist the top so nothing sneaks out and snip the tip.
Pour your lemon filling onto the shortbread. In a back and forth motion, squeeze out the cream cheese mix from the top to the bottom of your filling. You can create swirls or patterns however you like. You can put as much or as little cream cheese as you like.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is set in the middle. Cool completely, cut into bars, and enjoy!
