Do you think lemons and desserts are the perfect pairing? If so, you’ll love these lemon bars, with a shortbread base and a smooth and tangy lemon curd on top. They are great at anytime of the year!
While I may not be a huge sweets person, my husband certainly is. As a result, whenever I do any baking, especially desserts, he is left to eat most of it. This is not ideal when trying to uphold healthy eating habits!
Therefore, I prefer to have baking on hand that can be frozen and thawed easily enough for those times when you just need that little something. These bars are great for that, as you get this shortbread layer on the bottom that remains crunchy, with the gooeyness of the lemon curd on the top. The use of citrus here makes it a great little treat at any time of the year!
This recipe is very easy to make and only requires a handful of ingredients. It has a couple of steps to it, but nothing too difficult to manage! Even a beginner baker can master this recipe and impress their friends and family. To up the impressiveness, feel free to garnish with edible flowers around the plate, or even lemon and lime twists on each of the squares.
The number of bars this recipe makes is dependent on how generous you want to be. I found that 18 – 24 bars were reasonably sized. Though you could up it to 36 if you were making bite-sized squares to be enjoyed at an event like a potluck. If you want to create a beautiful platter, you could even make a second batch and replace the lemons with limes, and add a bit of green food coloring to make the green color pop. These lemon and lime squares look beautiful when arranged in a pattern on a plate.
When cutting these into bars, there are a few simple tricks. First of all, it is helpful to use a very sharp long knife. Secondly, after each cut run some warm water over the knife and pat dry. While this may seem a bit tedious after each and every cut, the end result is very clean lines. Be sure to keep the bars separate from each other when plating them too, as that gooey lemon curd is quite sticky!
What’s great about these bars is that they freeze well in a single layer for up to 3 months. I have to admit that they have never lasted that long in our house, but in theory they could! They can even be eaten from the freezer with minimal thaw time, which is super convenient when you are craving something sweet. I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.
So let’s get to it!
Lemon Bars Ingredients
Butter – Ideally, unsalted butter is preferred in this recipe. However, if you only have salted butter in the house, either is fine in this recipe. Here, you’ll want to plan ahead, and take the butter out for at least a couple or more hours before making the dough. You want it just slightly at room temperature, but not too soft either.
Sugar – regular, white, refined sugar is used here. It is added to both the base of these bars as well as the lemon curd. Make sure to level off the measuring cup with the back of a butter knife.
All-Purpose Flour – Typically, I keep it simple with using an all-purpose flour for this recipe. Similarly to the sugar, it is added to both the base of these bars as well as the lemon curd. To measure, spoon the flour into a measuring cup, and then level it off with the back edge of a butter knife.
Eggs – I use large eggs for this recipe. Much like the butter, let the eggs come to room temperature before adding to the lemon curd mixture. This allows the eggs to mix better with the other ingredients.
Lemon zest and lemon juice – Just 2 lemons are all you need here. I have an excellent rasp that makes zesting a simple task. One lemon is enough for the zest used in the lemon curd. You can use the lemon peel on the second lemon to create some lemon twists that can act as a garnish. Lemon twists can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. As for the juice, to get the most out of you lemons, allow them to come to room temperature first. You can also gently roll them on the counter using your palm before juicing them. You can also try microwaving them for about 20 to thirty seconds on high to increase the amount of juice that is released.
Icing Sugar (optional) Icing sugar can be used here to dust the bars after the have cooled from being baked in the oven. I use a sifting tool, which helps to evening distribute the icing sugar over the bars. The icing sugar, creates this additional textural layer, which really complements the bars overall.
Lemon Bars Tools
To make these lemon bars, there a few tools that you will need:
Measuring cups and spoons – this recipe uses standard measuring tools. Be sure to level each of the measured ingredients (I typically use a butter knife).
Zester/Rasp/Micro plane – this is a staple in my kitchen. I prefer it to be more on the fine side, as I use it almost daily for garlic or zesting citrus fruits. When shopping for one, find one that fits comfortably in your hand. Be sure to use extra caution as they sure are sharp!
Stand mixer – As this recipe requires that the butter, sugar, and flour be well blended, a stand mixer certainly makes it easier. You’ll want to stop it occasionally to scrape the butter/sugar/flour mixture off of the sides so that it continues to blend well.
Bowls – you will need two different bowls – one that fits your stand mixer to make the dough filling for the bottom layer and a smaller one to combine the ingredients for the lemon curd.
Parchment paper (optional) – While it is not needed here, I find that using parchment paper makes it much easier to remove the cooked lemon bars from the baking dish. The lemon curd may stick slightly on the edges, but are easy enough to separate using a knife. A trick when using parchment paper is to form it into a ball and run some water over it, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. This makes it much easier for the parchment paper to take to shape of whatever dish you are using.
Oven-safe baking dish or baking pan – I use a 9×12 oven-safe dish. I use a ceramic dish, though a metal baking pan would work as well. The difference would be a slightly crisper and darker bottom layer. I also line it with parchment paper to make the bars easier to remove once cooled.
Flour Sifter (optional) – If you do a lot of baking, this is a hand tool to have in the kitchen. It is a device that looks like a cup, that has a piece of mesh at the bottom and a handle. The handle helps to move the powder, through the mesh to ensure that there are no lumps. It is also a very handy tool when using icing sugar on top of a surface, as it spreads it finely and evenly. When I use mine for this recipe of my Linzer cookie recipe, I actually don’t use the handle. Instead, I simply tap the sifter over the bars, which allows me to be in better control over exactly how much icing sugar is being used.
In addition you will also need a whisk, a chef’s knife and a chopping board.
Lemon Bars
Do you think lemons and desserts are the perfect pairing? If so, you’ll love these lemon bars, with a shortbread base and a smooth and tangy lemon curd on top. They are great at anytime of the year!
36
bars5
minutes40
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minutesIngredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
- For the lemon curd
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp lemon zest
2 lemons, juiced
- Garnishes (Optional)
Icing Sugar
Lemon or Lime Twists
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a stand mix, combine the ingredients for the shortbread base: butter, flour and white sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan or baking dish.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven, or until firm and golden.
- In another bowl, begin to prepare the lemon curd: whisk together the white sugar and flour. Add in the eggs and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Pour mixture over the baked crust.
- Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. The bars will firm up as they cool.
- If dusting with icing sugar, do so once the bars are cooled and sliced. They look beautiful when garnished with edible flowers or lemon and lime twists.
- Enjoy!
