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As a lifetime Weight Watchers member, I don’t bake or eat nearly as many cookies as I used to. But I still love to indulge every now and again.
And it turns out cookies and cookie bars are a great choice because they are naturally portion-controlled and come in such a variety of styles and flavors, you can satisfy most any craving for relatively few WW Points.
It’s also fun to experiment with ways to make cookies lighter and healthier, though this can be tricky, especially if you want crisp or chewy cookies.
Recipe Notes
I was able to lighten up these cream cheese bars a little by substituting reduced-fat cream cheese for regular.
They’re simple and delicious creamy cookie bars perfect for cheesecake lovers, and super quick and easy to make since they begin with a box of yellow cake mix.
The next time I make these, I’m going to try a box of natural cake mix instead of the standard one. I like the idea of using fewer artificial colors, flavors and ingredients wherever I can.
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Lemon Cream Cheesecake Bars?
According to my calculation, each cheesecake bar has about 160 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
6 SmartPoints (Green plan)
6 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
6 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 PointsPlus (Old plan)
If you’ve made these low calorie Lemon Cheesecake Bars, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Lightened Up Lemon Cream Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 package (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup canola oil
For the topping:
- 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry cake mix, egg, and oil until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup to use for a topping.
- Press the remaining dough into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the topping. In another bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg until smooth and creamy.
- Spread evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved dough mixture.
- Bake an additional 15 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 6 SmartPoints (Green plan) 6 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 6 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 4 PointsPlus (Old plan) I was able to lighten up these cream cheese bars a little by substituting reduced-fat cream cheese for regular. The next time I make these, I’m going to try a box of natural cake mix instead of the standard one. I like the idea of using fewer artificial colors, flavors and ingredients wherever I can.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Easy Cake Mix Bar Cookies: 25 Tried and True Recipes (affiliate link) by Martha McKinnon
If you like low calorie lemon cheesecake bars, you might also like:
- Limoncello Cheesecake Squares – A subtle, refreshing and decadent dessert for lemon lovers.
- Skinny Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookie Bars – Incredibly easy and delicious with only 5 WW Freestyle SmartPoints (Simple Nourished Living)
- Healthy Banana Cookies with Oats & Chocolate Chips – If you are looking for tasty healthy banana cookies that are low fat, vegan and gluten free — this is the recipe for you (Simple Nourished Living)
- How To Make Cookies from Cake Mix – everything you need to know to turn a box of cake mix into yummy cookies (Simple Nourished Living)
- Cooking Light Fig & Cream Cheese Bars – Two layers of goodness (My Recipes)
- Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bars – I plan on trying these as soon as the weather cools (Weight Watchers)
- Lemon Cheesecake Yogurt Cups – Individually portioned lemon cheesecake baked in muffin cups (SkinnyTaste)
I just started and honestly I’m overwhelmed… I love lemon bars.
Thank you for this receipe.
omitted lemon zest i mean. thanks for sharing recipes!
i used a sugar free cake mix and omitted the lemon rind and they still tasted fabulous!
So happy to hear it Diana!