Philidelphia 3-Step Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Lemon Syrup

Photo courtesy of Kraft Recipes.com

Okay so the top of my cheesecake is a bit golden, but still delicious.

I'll come right out and admit that this is not my recipe, but I couldn't help but share it with you.  I found it recently on AllRecipes.com.  I made it for my family on Sunday, and they were delicious.  You can find the recipe for the cheesecake bars here.  The cheesecake bars have a very light and subtle lemon flavor.  The crust is delicious as well, they are made from Coconut Macaroons that are crushed and mixed with a bit of butter.

You can often find prepared macaroons that are gluten free, but to be safe I made my own. I used the recipe from the back of the Great Value (Wal-mart brand) shredded coconut package.  Apparently I threw out the empty container.  I can't find the recipe online or else I would link to it.   It is a flourless recipe, but I chose to add a tablespoon of rice flour for a bit of substance.  The macaroons were delicious and they made a perfect crust for the cheesecake.  

My husband loved the bars.  You might notice that I added a lemon syrup to the top of the cheesecake bar.  I thought that they just a bit more flavor.  You can make a simple syrup by incorporating fresh lemon juice, fresh lemon zest, and sugar and cooking until syrup consistency is reached. For more information on making simple syrups you can look here.