Get ready for the yummiest dessert ever! If you love lemon bars as much as I do, you are going to love this recipe. There are only nine ingredients in this simple but delicious recipe. These lemon bars are the perfect combination of sweet and salty with a dash of lemon on a delicious shortbread cookie crust.
Ingredients
- Butter-I use salted butter for this recipe because I enjoy the taste of lemons and salt. But, you could use unsalted butter also.
- Flour- You will use flour in the crust and in the filling. It helps give structure to the lemon filling.
- Powdered Sugar- I have seen recipes that use vanilla extract but the powdered sugar really makes a big difference.
- Sugar- Sugar is what sweetens the lemon filling by balancing the bitterness of the lemon.
- Baking Powder and Salt- Salt will help the balance all the flavors and the baking powder produces bubbles that help the filling rise and expand
- Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed lemons will taste best but you can also use the lemon juice that you buy from the store.
How To Make Lemon Bars
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl add softened butter, flour, salt, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar (reserve 1/4 cup of powder sugar to dust over the top). Mix ingredients together, and press into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Filling
- In a mixing bowl, beat 6 eggs together until they are light in color and a thick and creamy.
- Slowly add in sugar, flour, baking powder, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Pour filling evenly over the baked crust and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Substitutions
While fresh lemon juice tastes best you have use store bought lemon juice but you do loose some of the flavor. If you don’t like lemons try using another citrus fruit. Some of the ones I like are blood orange, lime, and grapefruit.
Can I Make Them In Advance?
Absolutely! In fact, I prefer them when they have had time to rest. Lemons bars taste best when they have had a chance to cool completely before serving.
How Do I Store Lemon Bars
Like and baked treat make sure you store them in an airtight container. This will help them stay fresh longer. You can also store them in the refrigerator if you prefer your lemon bars cold.
White Air Bubbles On The Top Of Baked Lemon Bars
If you end up with a layer of white bubble on the top of your baked lemons bars DON’T STRESS! It is completely normal. Some batches have them and some don’t. They will taste delicious with or with out the bubbles. The air bubbles come from the air of the beaten eggs. When the eggs cook the bubbles rise to the surface.
More Yummy Desserts
- No-Bake S’mores
- No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Nutella Puff Pastry
- Best Key Lime Pie Bars
- Frosted Lemon Sour Cream Cookies
Lemon Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup salted butter (softened)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar Reserve 1/4 cup for dusting the top
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling
- 6 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl add softened butter, flour, salt, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar (reserve 1/4 cup of powder sugar to dust over the top). Mix ingredients together, and press into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
Filling
- In a mixing bowl, beat 6 eggs together until they are light in color and a thick and creamy.
- Slowly add in sugar, flour, baking powder, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Pour filling evenly over the baked crust and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience. Getting feedback from you helps me and other readers too!
Also, if you share on INSTAGRAM, use the hashtag #modernmealmakeover and tag me (@modernmealmakeover) so we can stop by and give your post some love. Thank you!
