Description
Classic lemon bars delight dessert enthusiasts with their perfect balance of tangy citrus and sweet shortbread crust. Simple ingredients and straightforward preparation make this recipe a crowd-pleasing treat you’ll want to share with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice (2–3 lemons)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (finely grated)
- ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Crust Preparation: Grease an 8×8 inch pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper, covering bottom and sides completely.
- Crust Mixing: Blend softened unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and powdered sugar until achieving a sandy, crumbly consistency.
- Crust Formation: Press the crumb mixture evenly into the prepared pan, creating a compact base layer, then chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Initial Baking: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake the chilled crust for 15-18 minutes until edges turn light golden brown.
- Filling Creation: Whisk together fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, large eggs, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour until smooth and fully integrated.
- Filling Application: Remove crust from oven, pour lemon mixture evenly over hot surface, then return to oven for 25-30 minutes until center shows slight wobble.
- Cooling and Setting: Allow bars to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to ensure firm consistency.
- Serving Presentation: Dust chilled bars generously with powdered sugar, creating an elegant, frost-like surface before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Prep Pan Perfectly: Line with parchment paper completely to ensure easy removal and clean cutting of lemon bars without sticking.
- Crust Consistency Matters: Mix butter and flour until it resembles coarse crumbs for a tender, crumbly base that holds together beautifully.
- Temperature Technique: Chill crust before baking to prevent shrinking and create a stable, crisp foundation for the lemon filling.
- Doneness Detection: Watch for a slight jiggle in the center when baking filling, which indicates perfect texture without overbaking and drying out the bars.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10
- Calories: 218
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg