Who doesn’t love a good lemon bar? While I think it impossible not to have a special place in one’s heart for the zesty-shortbread-bottomed-citrus delight, I’m sure there exists those who don’t. This post is not for them. I hadn’t made lemon bars in a while but hearing that my sweet baking-loving niece in LA recently made some and how outrageous they were, first made me sad I couldn’t be there to sample some of her creation, but also really made me want to eat some. Which meant I had to make some. And since the recipe she used was so outstanding, I decided to give that a go instead of my usual lemon bar recipe.
This recipe is by none other than the fabulous Sally over at Sally’s Baking Addiction. Her blog is drool worthy and I’ve made a decent amount of her recipes with great success. This one was no exception. I only made the slightest of tweaks. One of them being, reducing the sugar in the filling. It makes them just a little more tart but still incredibly delicious. I included the original amount below if you like a sweeter bar.
My favorite thing about this recipe? It can all be made in one bowl. No machines, just a spatula and a whisk. It really is crazy how quick and easy this is to throw together. The only downside is, the waiting for it to cool so you can eat it. As tempting as it is to cut right into the bars straight out of the oven, I do recommend letting them cool down, then setting them in the refrigerator. The texture really is divine this way and they are so easy to cut once cold.
The steps to make these are fairly straight forward. Mix together the shortbread ingredients in a bowl and press it into a parchment-lined baking dish. She recommends a glass or ceramic dish for these and I’ve always done the same for lemon bars. The flavor you sometimes get from a metal baking dish isn’t great. Once pressed into the dish, I recommend letting the crust chill in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes. Then you pop that into the oven for 20 minutes while you make the filling.
For the filling, you only need 4 ingredients- fresh squeezed lemon juice (always go for fresh here,) eggs, sugar, and a tiny bit of flour. You whisk those together, pour them over the warm, docked crust and pop it back into the oven for another 20 minutes. Now here comes the hard part, let it cool completely in the dish, then once room temp, pop it into the fridge to chill. Then the anticipation is over, you can dust the top with some confectioner’s sugar if you’d like and cut into bars or any shape you choose. I’ll admit, I just hacked right into it and went to town. Then of course, sliced some squares to share.
These really were just as described. Pretty outstanding. So much so, I thought I’d share the lemon love here, just in case you haven’t come across this recipe. Try it out, I think you’ll be just as wowed as we were.
Luscious Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsps pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups + 2 tbsps 265g all-purpose flour
Lemon Filling
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar (*original recipe is 2 cups)
- 6 Tbsps (48g) all-purpose flour
- 6 lg eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish* with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out. (This makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
For the Crust:
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Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. (The dough will be thick.) Press firmly into prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even. Pop it into the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill slightly.
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Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke holes all over just the the top layer of the warm crust (NOT all the way through the crust.) This really does help the filling stick and holds the crust in place. Set aside to cool just slightly.
For the Filling:
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Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Add the eggs and fresh lemon juice and whisk until completely combined.
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Pour filling over the warm crust. Bake the bars for 20-22 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (Give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test.) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature. Cool them about 1 1/2 hours at room temp then pop in the fridge for another hour or 2 until cold.
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Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares before serving. (For neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut.) Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Serve chilled.
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Freezing Instructions: Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Cut the cooled bars (without confectioners’ sugar topping) into squares, then place onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. Individually wrap each bar in aluminum foil or parchment and plastic wrap and place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Recipe Notes
*A glass or ceramic dish is recommended over metal for superior taste. (A metal dish tends to impart a metallic flavor.)
*Fresh lemon juice should be used. (Or another fresh citrus like orange, lime or blood orange.)
*Docking, or using a fork to poke holes at the top of the baked crust is a great idea to ensure the filling sticks to the crust. Just be sure not to poke the holes all the way through or you’ll end up with filling under your crust.
*This recipe was ever-so-slightly tweaked from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
