Lemon Bars Recipe
A thick, tart lemon filling over a crisp shortbread base makes the perfect lemon bars! The tender crust layer is thick enough to prevent the filling from seeping underneath and perfectly balances the tartness of the lemons.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch pan
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour divided (420g)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (90g), plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (200g)
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest (4-5 lemons)
- 3 cups granulated sugar (600g)
- 8 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (240ml) (4-5 lemons)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and then fully line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Whisk together 3 cups (360g) of flour with the powdered sugar and salt, then pour in the melted butter and mix with a silicone spatula until well combined. (You can also do this using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. If you'd like a dash of vanilla can be added in with the butter at this step.)
- Sprinkle the dough into your lined pan and press firmly into a flat layer, ensuring there are no cracks. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until a light golden color.
- While the crust is baking, add the sugar to the bowl of a food processor and add the lemon zest. Pulse until the zest is fully incorporated and sugar is a light yellow color. If you don't have a processor just mince the zest and mix with the sugar in a bag or bowl.
- Add the sugar and the remaining half cup of flour to a large bowl and mix well. (You can sift together however and zesty sugar bits will need to get dumped out of the sifter as they might clog things up and not go through.)
- Pour in the lemon juice and add the eggs, then mix very well until completely combined.
- Pour the filling onto the warm crust then transfer to oven and bake for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through the bake. Remove from oven and allow to cool for an hour before chilling in the refrigerator for two hours.
- Remove the bars from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars using a clean, sharp, damp knife. Clean and re-wet the knife after each cut.
Notes
- Has your crust ever floated to the top? This is a surprising but not uncommon thing to happen to lemon bars, generally! This can occur when there are small gaps in the bottom crust– which can form from not pressing it in fully or evenly– and some of the filling seeps under the crust during baking, pushing the crust up to the top. I retested and tweaked my recipe to be as fool proof as possible so that doesn’t happen to you! I increased the amount of crust dough to ensure there is plenty for even coverage so you don’t have any potential gaps and the filling won’t leak through.
- Be sure to press the crust firmly into the bottom of the pan and all the way up to the edges of the pan, without any cracks. If you see any cracks, press the crust to fill them in. Those small cracks or large gaps between the crust and the sides of the pan can give room for the filling to go under the crust and cause the crust to float to the top.
- Pour the filling on the crust while it is still hot from the oven. The residual heat from the crust helps to jump start the cooking, ensuring the filling bakes evenly.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal Carbohydrates: 70g Protein: 6g Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0.4g Cholesterol: 116mg Sodium: 114mg Potassium: 86mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 46g Vitamin A: 461IU Vitamin C: 8mg Calcium: 24mg Iron: 2mg