Thick and gooey Lemon Bars with shortbread crust and vibrant lemon taste are the right dessert. Watch the video tutorial and see how simple it’s to bake home made lemon bars.
We love dessert bar recipes from Pecan Pie Bars to Baklava and Strawberry Pretzel Salad, as a result of they’re simple to make and crowd-pleasing desserts. These lemon bars are not any exception.
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Recent lemons make all the pieces higher from Lemon Blueberry Cake to Do-it-yourself Lemonade. In case you are a fan of lemon, this recipe for Lemon Bars is a must-try!
Lemon Bar Video
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Traditional Lemon Bar Recipe
Take one chew and you’ll fall in love with these lemon bars. The lemon custard filling is just like our Lemon Curd Recipe and is brimming with satisfying tangy lemon taste, and it’s balanced in sweetness.
I discovered how you can make Lemon Bars years in the past from one among Ina Garten’s early cookbooks, Barefoot Contessa Events (I actually have all 12 of her cookbooks as a result of I love her very a lot and her recipes are sound). That is very near the unique recipe besides we add vanilla to the crust and also you’ll love the tip for making the crust even simpler to mould.
Components for Lemon Bars
- Eggs – Add richness and assist the custard thicken. We use giant eggs.
- Granulated sugar – it could look like a whole lot of sugar, nevertheless it’s wanted to fight the tanginess of the lemon juice. You’ll be able to regulate it relying on the kind of lemons used (see subsequent part).
- Lemons – you’ll want the lemon zest and juice so remember to zest the lemon earlier than juicing it.
- All-purpose flour– helps to thicken up the lemon custard filling.
- Confectioners sugar – to mud the highest for serving.
- For the Shortbread Crust – this simple cookie crust is made with butter, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, and salt. It creates a buttery crust that’s crisp on the sides and tender to the chew.
What are the perfect lemons for Lemon Bars?
I all the time use common lemons as a result of they’ve tons of tang and lemon taste. Since lemons are the star ingredient, you must keep away from utilizing bottled lemon juice or focus. Additionally, use not more than 1 cup of lemon juice or the custard gained’t set correctly. In case your lemons are refrigerated, carry them to room temperature first. P.S. Right here’s my favourite citrus squeezer.
Can I take advantage of Meyer Lemons? Meyer lemons aren’t fairly as tart as common lemons so that you’ll wish to scale back the sugar within the filling to about 2 cups.
The best way to Make Lemon Bars
- Crust – Cream butter and sugar within the bowl of a stand mixer, then add vanilla extract, flour, and salt and blend till crumbly. Press the combination right into a parchment-lined 9×13 casserole dish. Bake at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes. Cool barely on a rack.
- Lemon Filling – In a mixing bowl, whisk collectively eggs and sugar. Whisk in lemon juice and zest. Add flour and whisk till utterly blended.
- Add filling and Bake – pour filling over the nice and cozy crust and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes till the middle is ready and not wobbly.
- Chill– cool at room temperature on a wire rack for no less than 1 hour then refrigerate for no less than 2 hours.
- Serve – Reduce into squares and mud with powdered sugar to serve.
Professional Slicing Tip: Similar to with a Cheesecake, for clear and fairly slices, wipe the knife blade clear with a moist paper towel between slices.
Frequent Questions
The middle of the lemon bars ought to be totally set. In the event you give the pan a jolt, it mustn’t wobble within the middle.
Lemon bars might be stored at room temperature for a number of hours however ought to be refrigerated after that. Refrigerate as much as per week or freeze for 3-4 months (see make-ahead directions under).
The air bubbles that rise to the floor whereas baking is regular. These are bubbles from whisking the eggs. For the reason that bubbles rise above the floor, they have a tendency to brown which causes the brown spots. They’re simple to cowl up with powdered sugar.
You’ll be able to substitute with grapefruit, orange juice, or lime to vary up the flavour of your bars, however use much less sugar when utilizing sweeter citrus.
A glass or ceramic 9×13 pan works nice for lemon bars. Observe {that a} glass pan will bake quicker and darker than a steel pan so test for doneness somewhat earlier.
Make-Forward Lemon Squares
Lemon bars hold rather well within the fridge and within the freezer, making them one among my favourite make-ahead desserts.
- Refrigerating: If baking the bars forward, cool to room temperature then cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Mud with powdered sugar simply earlier than serving.
- To Freeze: As soon as lemon bars are totally chilled within the fridge, cowl the baking dish with a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for 3-4 months. You too can switch leftover items to a freezer-safe zip bag for simpler storage. The lemon custard doesn’t totally solidify within the freezer so there’s no have to thaw. They’re so good proper out of the freezer.
When life provides you lemons, put them in lemon bars! This recipe will change into your go-to for potlucks, events, and holidays like Easter or Christmas. It’s a keeper of a recipe.
Extra Recipes with Lemon
If you find yourself with a bumper crop of lemons or only a large bag from the grocery retailer, we now have you coated. Take a look at our publish on all of the genius Methods to make use of Lemons, from zesting to juicing and freezing then attempt a few of our favourite lemony recipes.
Traditional Lemon Bars Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 55 minutes
Complete Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Lemon Bars with intense lemon taste and a buttery shortbread crust. This recipe is so easy, might be made forward and even frozen.
Course:
Dessert
Delicacies:
American
Key phrase:
lemon bar recipe, lemon bars
Ability Stage:
Straightforward
Price to Make:
$10-$14
Energy: 314
Servings: 20 folks
For the Shortbread Crust:
For the Lemon Filling:
-
7
giant eggs, room temperature -
3
cups
granulated sugar, * -
2
Tbsp
lemon zest, from 4 to five lemons -
1
cup
lemon juice, freshly squeezed (from 5 giant or 8 medium lemons)** -
1
cup
all-purpose flour - Confectioners sugar, to mud
-
PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 13x9x2” baking pan with parchment paper (it ought to go a lot of the approach up the perimeters so filling doesn’t spill over.
-
CRUST: Within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream collectively softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Proceed mixing till combination is crumbly and no dry flour stays. Unfold the dough evenly into the underside of your ready pan. Press it together with your fingertips to flatten and even out the dough. Bake crust at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes or till flippantly golden on the edges. Switch to a wire rack to chill barely.
-
FILLING: Whereas the crust is baking, zest then squeeze the lemons and put together your filling. In a big mixing bowl, whisk collectively eggs and sugar till blended. Add Lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk to mix. Add 1 cup flour and whisk till easy and really nicely blended and no traces of flour stay.
-
BAKING: Pour filling over the nice and cozy crust and bake within the middle of a preheated oven at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes or till the filling is ready. As quickly because the filling is not wobbly within the middle, take away from the oven so that you don’t over-bake. Cool within the pan at room temperature for no less than 1 hour then refrigerate for no less than 2 hours earlier than serving.
-
TO SERVE: Pull the parchment paper up barely to loosen from the pan then switch to a slicing board and minimize into 18-20 squares then mud the tops with powdered sugar.
*If utilizing Meyer lemons, minimize the sugar all the way down to 2 cups for the filling.
**Keep away from utilizing extra lemon juice than what known as for or the filling gained’t set correctly.
Diet Information
Traditional Lemon Bars Recipe
Quantity Per Serving
Energy 314
Energy from Fats 99
% Each day Worth*
Fats 11g17%
Saturated Fats 6g38%
Trans Fats 1g
Ldl cholesterol 82mg27%
Sodium 53mg2%
Potassium 59mg2%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 36g40%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 368IU7%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* % Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie weight-reduction plan.
