Lemon Bars Recipe - Baking Is Therapy (2024)

Sweet and tangy lemon bars with a creamy filling and a crisp and buttery shortbread crust, are the perfect dessert to make in spring.⁣ They are delicious and so easy to make and I just love that bright yellow color of them!

A few notes about this recipe:

– It’s best to use a glass or a ceramic pan. Because if you use a metal pan, the acid will react with the lemon juice and the bars will have a slight metallic taste.
– Also, make sure not to overcook the filling because it may get a rubbery texture instead of a smooth and creamy one.

Ingredients for a 8×8 inch pan:

Shortbread Crust:

• 1/2 cup room temperature butter – 113 grams
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar – 20 grams
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sifted flour – 145 grams
• 1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar – 162 grams
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour – 22 grams
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Crust:

1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and line a 8×8 glass or ceramic pan with parchment paper and leave some overhang on the sides. I suggest that you don’t use a metal pan because it will give the bars a metallic taste.

2. Then, in a large bowl, add in the room temperature butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Then beat them all together for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

3. Lastly, add in the sifted flour and mix for a few seconds, just until the dough comes together. It’s important to not over beat the crust because it can get tough after baking.

4. Transfer the dough to your baking pan and press it with your hand to an even layer. If the dough sticks to your hand, flour your hand very slightly. You can bring the dough up to the edges just a bit to get some crispy yummy edges!

5. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the edges begin getting golden brown. While you are waiting you can measure your filling ingredients but don’t mix them together until ready to pour in the crust. Because if lemon juice and eggs sit together for a while they’ll react and it may become curdled and weird!

6. Take out the crust and let it sit while we make the filling. (You don’t want the crust to cool down completely, the filling should be added to a warm crust.)

Filling:

1. In a bowl add in sugar, lemon zest, salt and flour and whisk them together very well.

2. Next, juice some lemons (you probably need 1-2 lemons) to get 1/4 cup of juice and add it to the flour mixture.

3. Then, add in the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk all of them together really well. Don’t skip the vanilla extract because it gets rid of the egg smell.

4. Pour the filling over warm crust and bake for about 20 minutes or until the filling is just set. It means the top is white and when you gently shake the pan, you’ll see a very slight jiggle in the center. The center will continue cooking as the filling is cooling down.

5. Let the pan cool down on a wire rack completely, about an hour, and then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

6. When you’re ready to serve, grab the overhang parchment paper and slowly lift the lemon bar out of the pan. Sometimes it gets a little sticky on the sides but don’t panic it will come out.

7. Use a large knife and cut it to squares, wiping off your knife after each cut.

8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and more lemon zest if you like.

Love citrus flavored desserts and cakes?! Check out this dreamy Glazed Orange Cake!