What could be better than a sweet, tart lemon bar? Take that and make it homemade with these easy to follow directions. You’ll enjoy the recipe so much you can forget about all those store bought bars in your pantry.
Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts. I love the tart flavor and the crunchy texture that they have. My homemade lemon bars recipe is perfect for any occasion! Read more in detail here: lemon bar recipe.
Caring is shared!
Lemon Bars are the ultimate treat for lemon enthusiasts! These traditional lemon squares have a shortbread crust and a tart lemon filling that you’ll enjoy.
There are affiliate links in this post.
In Ohio, it’s finally beginning to feel like summer, which usually means two things: The pool is now open for the season, and you can find me in the kitchen making strawberry tarts, s’mores pie, and these lemon treats.
Not every recipe on My Baking Addiction becomes a family favorite right away, but this lemon bar recipe has been one of my favorite summer treats for almost ten years!
The buttery crust, acidic lemon filling, and sugar coating are a summer dessert match made in heaven. Serve chilled as a refreshing finale to any summer dinner!
RECIPE FOR THE BEST LEMON BAR
I’m not a big lover of chocolate desserts. Sure, I’ll have a slice of the greatest chocolate cake or chocolate zucchini cake, but I’d rather have something fresh and fruity any day of the week. Especially if the dessert is lemon.
Tart treats, like tart, sour candies, are absolutely my jam.
I can’t get enough of the sour lemon taste, whether it’s in a piece of lemon cheesecake, lemon icebox cake, or lemon whipped cream cake.
A friend once suggested that I try mixing a Cook’s Illustrated shortbread crust with Ina Garten’s lemon bar filling. I did it right away, and let me tell you, the results were incredible!
I’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe over the years, but I still think this is RECIPE FOR THE BEST LEMON BAR.
Everyone I’ve given them to has adored them! Especially if they have the same craving for sour lemon treats as I do.
Instructions ON HOW TO MAKE LEMON BARS
This dish takes a little longer to make than some other bar sweets, like my key lime pie bars, but the techniques aren’t difficult.
You’ll need the following Ingredients:
Both the shortbread crust and the lemon filling must be prepared ahead of time.
You’ll need the following Ingredients to To make the crust, follow these steps:
- 1 3/4 cup flour (all-purpose)
- a third of a cup of confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar)
- a quarter cup of cornstarch
- a quarter teaspoon of salt
- 12 tbsp. chilled butter
You’ll need the following Ingredients For the filling, combine:
- 3 cups sugar (granulated)
- 1 cup flour (all-purpose)
- 7 big room-temperature eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated (4 to 6 lemons)
- 1 lemon juice (fresh) (around 8 lemons)
- Dusting sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
Although the original filling recipe asks for extra-large eggs, I modified it to use big eggs instead. Large eggs are much more numerous and accessible.
Refer to the recipe card’s notes if you want to use extra-large eggs.
(Hint: learn how to fast bring eggs to room temperature!)
“Wow, that’s a lot of lemon,” you may be thinking. Yes, you are correct. In contrast to other recipes with a thin layer of excessively sweet lemon filling, the filling on these bars is very thick and sour.
For lemon fans, these are the greatest lemon bars!
You’ll need the following equipment.
The majority of the gear you’ll need is rather standard:
- Bowls for mixing
- Cups for measuring
- Whisk
- a 13-by-nine-inch baking pan
- Paper made with parchment
A food processor is one equipment that I strongly suggest owning to make the crust incredibly easy to put together. I’ve provided directions for making the crust by hand in the recipe card, but I usually prefer the food processor approach!
Mama has things to do, after all!
Creating this dish
To begin, prepare the shortbread crust. This crust, unlike the shortbread crust in my apple pie bars, will seem like coarse meal.
You’ll probably think there’s no way it’ll develop into a true crust, but believe me when I say it will!
In a food processor, combine the dry Ingredients for the crust, then add the butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Firmly press the crust into the pan; once baked, it transforms into a delightfully buttery crust.
One of the most crucial aspects of this recipe is that the filling must be added to the crust when it is still hot from the oven.
After preparing the crust, chill it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking it for 20 minutes.
This should give you plenty of time to prepare the lemon filling and have it ready to go when the crust is done baking.
Before pouring the filling over the heated crust, whisk together all of the filling Ingredients and give it a brief toss.
Return the bars to the oven for another 30-35 minutes. When the middle of the lemon bars has just set, you know they’re done.
Before serving, coat the tops of the bars with powdered sugar after they’ve cooled to room temperature.
STORAGE & FREEZING
Lemon bars have a lot of eggs in them. Lemon bars, like lemon curd, should be kept in the refrigerator if they aren’t going to be consumed within a few hours.
I would wait until just before serving to sprinkle them with powdered sugar if you are cooking them the day before you want to serve them. Otherwise, the powdered sugar in the refrigerator tends to melt a little.
Is it possible to freeze lemon bars?
Do you want to know anything interesting? Lemon bars keep nicely in the freezer.
If you wish to create a large batch of the bars ahead of time and freeze them for later, follow these Instructions:
- Allow the lemon bars to cool completely, then use the Paper made with parchment to remove them from the pan.
- Wrap the whole slab of bars with plastic wrap before covering it with a layer of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to a month in the freezer.
- Allow the bars to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Before cutting and serving, liberally dust with powdered sugar.
If you wish to freeze individual lemon bars, follow these steps:
- Wrap a layer of plastic wrap over each sliced lemon bar. Place the wrapped bars in a single layer in a zip-top freezer bag.
- Remove as many bars as you want to defrost and place them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw (or eat them frozen!). Before you eat them, give them a fresh sprinkling of powdered sugar!
Ingredients
To To make the crust, follow these steps:
- 1 3/4 cup flour (all-purpose)
- a third of a cup of confectioners’ sugar
- a quarter cup of cornstarch
- a quarter teaspoon of salt
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (12 sticks)
For the filling, combine:
- 3 cups sugar (granulated)
- 1 cup flour (all-purpose)
- 7 big room-temperature eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated (4 to 6 lemons)
- 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (around 8 lemons)
- Dusting sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
Instructions
To make the crust, follow these steps:
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack in the middle position.
- Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking pan and line with one sheet Paper made with parchment. Spray with additional nonstick spray, then lay a second sheet crosswise over it. This will make it easier to lift the bars out after they are baked.
- In the work-bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade, pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Process for 8 to 10 seconds to integrate in the butter, then pulse in three 1-second bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Sprinkle crust mixture into prepared pan and press into an equal, 1/4-inch layer using fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup over whole pan bottom and approximately 1/2 inch up sides. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking for 20 minutes or till golden brown.
To create the crust by hand, follow these steps:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Freeze butter and shred it into the flour mixture using a box grater with big holes. Toss the butter chunks in the flour to coat them. For a minute, rub the pieces between your fingers until the flour resembles coarse meal.
- Sprinkle crust mixture into prepared pan and press into an equal, 1/4-inch layer using fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup over whole pan bottom and approximately 1/2 inch up sides. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking for 20 minutes or till golden brown.
Filling Directions:
- Combine the sugar and flour in a mixing bowl.
- Combine the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. To blend the ingredients, whisk them together.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set, over the heated crust. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
- Cut into squares after dusting with confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
A heated crust must be used to add the lemon filling. The crust’s 10-minute chilling time and 20-minute baking time should give you plenty of time to make the filling. If not, prepare the filling first and whisk it to combine it with the crust right before putting it in.
Any leftover bars should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Large eggs have been substituted for the extra-large eggs formerly called for in this recipe. Use 6 eggs if you want to use extra-large eggs.
May 1998, adapted from Ina Garten and Cook’s Illustrated Magazine
These “ina garten lemon bars” are a homemade version of the popular dessert. The recipe is easy to make and requires just three ingredients.
Related Tags
- old fashioned lemon squares recipe
- lemon bars mary berry
- lemon recipes
- healthy lemon bars
