Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars

Tangy, tart lemon cheesecake bars are topped with a sweet tea caramel sauce to perfectly marry the two together and create Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars. Your favorite way to quench your thirst is now in dessert form!

Kids are back in school, Labor day is on the horizon and I’m drowning my sorrows in these Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars.  For reals though.  I’ve told you all before how much I love summer and literally bask in all it’s glory.  Just the other day I took a nap outside in the sun.  I brought out one of my thousand BHG magazines outside (seriously guys, is there a support group for magazine hoarding? PM me) there was a slight breeze and my eyes slowly started to close and I just rolled with it.  Thirty minutes later I woke up fresh as a daisy with golden brown skin.  Ahhh, sweet, sweet summertime.

However, I am adjusting to the upcoming Fall season.  I have planned my September blog calendar and there is no shortage of pumpkin, apples, football and hearty comfort food meals. I do also love Fall, I think I just dread it because I know what season is coming after…DUN DUN DUN, winter.  Hate me some winter with every chilling bone in my body.  I’m getting cold just thinking about it.  So, let’s focus on the end of summer, eat these delicious Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars and welcome the coming of Fall, Football and FOODD!

I absolutely love lemon.  Lemon bars, lemon in my iced tea, lemon scented cleaners, lemon drop martinis.  If there’s lemon in it, chances are I’m buying it.  When I was pregnant with my daughter I craved citrus and my lemon obsession went to a whole new level.  I also ate fruit trays by the plenty but that’s another story.

One of my very favorite things is Southern sweet tea.  I absolutely love my tea sweetened.  I use to go through McDonald’s and purchase their large sweet tea until I found out the amount of sugar in that bad boy.  See ya, McDonald’s, this girl is not down with 110g of sugar in 1 large size sweet iced tea! ?

What I love even more than sweet tea is an Arnold Palmer.  I love the sweet blend of iced tea with lemonade.  I often times go into the gas station and grab the .99 can of Arnold Palmer, Zero Half & Half Iced Tea and Lemonade.  Which has less than 1 gram of sugar, thank you very much.  Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer’s day as that can of Iced tea.  I use to buy them by the 12 pack, but my local store recently put them on clearance, I bought them out and they haven’t been back since.

One day I was watching the Food Network, it’s the only channel I watch, and Damaris Phillips was on.  I adore her.  I wish I lived in Kentucky just so her and I could be BFF’s.  She is just the cutest, funniest Southern girl and we’d get along so well.  Plus, she makes deliciously amazing food.  Anyways, she was making Cinnamon Roll biscuits with sweet tea caramel sauce.  As I wiped the drool off my chin, I got a brilliant idea.  Why not make sweet and tart lemon bars and top them with this amazing sweet tea caramel sauce.

And folks, that is exactly what I need.  Insert Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars.  My favorite summertime beverage now in dessert form.  The results.  Sinful, decadent and amazing!  I used my favorite lemon cheesecake bar recipe which is the perfect balance of sweet, tang and tart and super yummy on their own but only elevated by this luscious sweet tea caramel sauce.  Thank you Damaris Phillips.  Call me sometime and we’ll do lunch! I’ll even come to KY!  P.S.  I like bourbon! ?

This amazing lemon cheesecake cars start with an almond crust.  Oh, did I mention they’re on the lighter side?!  Well not once you add the caramel sauce though, sorry!  Everything in moderation. Skip the McDonald’s sweet tea and you’ll be just fine.

I would be lying if I told you I didn’t eat the caramel by the spoonfuls.  Bonus, the sweet tea caramel sauce makes more than what you need to use for this entire pan of lemon cheesecake bars so you can store the remaining caramel sauce in a jar in your refrigerator for up to 1 month.  So feel free to put it on pie, cupcakes or just eat it by the spoonful, I won’t tell.

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Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars

Prep 10 mins

Cook 30 mins

Total 40 mins

Author Strawberry Blondie Kitchen

Yield 16

Tangy, tart lemon cheesecake bars are topped with a sweet tea caramel sauce to perfectly marry the two together and create Arnold Palmer Cheesecake Bars. Your favorite way to quench your thirst is now in dessert form!

Ingredients

• For the Crust
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• Filling
• 3/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• Sweet Tea Caramel Sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened tea powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish. Set aside
2. In a food processor, process flour through almonds. Pulse to combine.
3. Add butter and pulse until pea sized crumbs form.
4. Place into prepared glass dish, press down into an even layer.
5. Bake for 20-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees
7. In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt through cream cheese. Once incorporated, add in eggs, one at a time and process until smooth.
8. Pour mixture over cooled almond crust and spread out evenly.
9. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until top is set and no jiggly in the middle.
10. Cool completely and then place into refrigerator to cool for at least 3 hours.
11. Sweet Tea Caramel Sauce
12. Whisk heavy cream and iced tea powder in a medium bowl until tea is dissolved.
13. In a medium size skillet, over medium heat, add sugar and without stirring wait until liquefied and starting to brown about 5-7 minutes.*
14. Once sugar turns to a copper color, remove from heat and carefully add in your heavy cream tea mixture, whisking to combine.
15. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth.
16. Set aside and wait until cooled.
17. Store in mason jar, in refrigerator, for up to 1 month
18. To Serve
19. Cut Lemon cheesecake bars into 18 squares.
20. Place 1 square on a plate and top with desired amount of sweet tea caramel sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Lemon Cheesecake bars slightly adapted from hereSweet Tea Caramel Sauce

Courses Cheesecake

Cuisine Dessert

Do not let this summer slip away before you make these incredible Arnold Palmer cheesecake bars.  They’re a delicious mashup of the iconic Iced tea and lemonade and definitely deserve a spot in your summer dessert rotation.  And if for some reason you aren’t fond of caramel, who are you, these lemon cheesecake bars are divine on their own.  I ate half the pan without the sauce and everyone every minute of them.

Look at that bite in all its almondy, tangy, tart, sweet caramely deliciousness!  These were hands down the dessert highlight of my summer and they can be yours too.

Tell me.  How do you like your iced tea?

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