Lemon Bars

Perfectly tangy, and lusciously sweet, these lemon bars do double time on flavor without taking hours to make! You’ll have a hard time eating just one.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Lemon Bars, lemon desserts, lemon squares

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 603kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

Filling:

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with a double thickness of aluminum foil, allowing 2-3 inches to extend over long sides. Spray generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Slice each stick of cold butter (1 cup) into about 8 slices. In the bowl of a food processor add flour (2 cups), powdered sugar (3/4 cup), and sliced butter. Pulse until butter pieces are about the size of peas. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and press evenly into dish. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the edges of the crust begin to brown.
Make the Filling: In a small bowl combine baking powder (1/2 teaspoon) and flour (1/4 cup) and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs (4) until smooth. Add sugar (2 cups), lemon zest (2 1/2 teaspoons), and lemon juice (1/3 cup), and combine. Add flour mixture and combine. Pour filling over hot crust and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool bars in the pan set on top of a cooling rack for about half an hour. Remove bars from pan and cool on rack completely.
Lift a generous layer of powdered sugar onto bars. Cut bars and serve.

Notes

Juice: Most grocery stores put their citrus on sale, and you can get a huge bag for super cheap. Next time you see lemons like that, buy them, cut them, and store the juice in the freezer. You’ll thank me! You can also freeze the zest too!
Butter: For the crust, you’ll want your butter as cold as possible. Why? This helps your crust retain as much structure as possible, standing up against the strong lemon curd.
Cutting: If you want cleaner cuts for your lemon bars recipe, make sure your knife is cold and wipe it with a chilled damp towel between cuts. My grandma taught me to let the knife sit in a tall glass filled with ice water for a few minutes before I use it.

Nutrition