Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups (190g) All-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup (170g) Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 0.5 cup (60g) Toasted pecans, finely chopped
  • 0.25 cup (50g) Granulated sugar
  • 0.5 tsp Sea salt
  • 8 oz (225g) Full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup (120g) Powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla paste
  • 2 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
  • 1.5 cups (360ml) Heavy whipping cream, chilled
  • 1 cup (300g) Lemon curd
  • 2 tsp Fresh lemon zest

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Combine flour, cold butter, sugar, salt, and pecans using a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form. Press firmly into the pan and bake for 15 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in the vanilla paste and lemon juice. Spread this layer evenly over the cooled shortbread crust using an offset spatula.
  3. In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold in the lemon curd and lemon zest until well combined and airy. Spread the mousse over the cream cheese layer.
  4. Chill the bars in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to allow the layers to set properly before slicing into 16 bars.