Name: Easy Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 7 Tablespoons salted butter, room temperature; 2 large egg yolks; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 2 1/4 cups sugar; 6 large eggs + 2 yolks; 2/3 cup lemon juice; 1/2 cup flour

Extra summery, extra delicious Easy Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust. This dessert is hands down one of our favorite sweet bars for the spring and summer! These bars are silky smooth, perfectly lemony, and just sweet enough. The crust is buttery, holds up to the filling, and is so easy to make. This combination makes for a truly special but super simple (and delicious!) silky, sweet, and tangy dessert. Made with nothing more than pantry staples, fresh lemon juice, and no real speciality equipment, these bars are the one treat you need to keep on your "need to bake" list for this summer. Finish each bar with a light dusting of powdered sugar and some candied lemon for a super special and decadent dessert. A truly decadent spring and summer dessert that's perfect for any occasion

three stacked lemon bars on parchment with flowers and candied lemon slices

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About The Recipe
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Instructions
3 Tricks For Making The Best Lemon Bars
How To Store
Choosing The Right Lemon & How To Get The Most Juice From It
Expert Tips
Recipe

About The Recipe

The one thing I look forward to every year, believe it or not, is Spring and Summer. I love all the bright flavors that follow them, making each dish something unique and special after a long couple months of spiced bakes! These easy lemon bars are exactly the break we needed to get us looking forward to those wonderful summery days.

Each bite is tart, perfectly sweet, silky smooth, and basically our new obsession. Every bite basically feels like summer!

And, this was actually our first time trying some!

overhead shot of lemon bars on pan with parchment, candied lemon slices, and flowers on marble

Lemon bars were such a huge deal where I grew up and they were something everyone made...except my mom. My mom was always making pot de crème or sourdough! It wasn't something that was ever highly requested. So, today...we finally made some lemon bars!

I totally understand the hype now. These bars are seriously delicious! And, if you've read our blog before, you know that I like citrus as much as the next person, but I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan. Now, I really think I might be!

So simple, but bursting with flavor. Every bite is like citrus heaven, without being too much.

Even if you aren't the biggest lemon fan, or even if you are, these super simple lemon bars are definitely for you!

lemon bar with a bite missing, two slices of candied lemon, and flowers

Equipment Needed

A Mixer
Citrus Juicer
Mixing Bowls
Square 8 Inch Casserole
Parchment Paper

Ingredients

For The Crust:

Butter
All-Purpose Flour
Powdered Sugar
Egg Yolks
Vanilla

vanilla, egg yolks, flour, powdered sugar, and butter on marble counter

For The Filling:

Lemon Juice
Sugar
Eggs

sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and flour on marble counter

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, flour, and powdered sugar until it resembles sand. About 2 minutes.

flour, powdered sugar, and butter in mixer

Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla.

egg yolks and vanilla added to flour mixture

Press the shortbread dough down into a lined casserole (glass or ceramic). Place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take out and then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

dough pressed into a square in lined casserole

Right before the crust is ready to come out of the oven, about 3 minutes prior, mix together the eggs and sugar.

egg and sugar mixed together in glass bowl

Stir in the flour.

Mix in the fresh lemon juice.

lemon juice being poured into egg mixture

Take the shortbread out of the oven and poke gently with holes. This is important! Don't push the fork all the way down. Just about halfway through the shortbread.

holes being poked into shortbread with fork

Pour the lemon filling over the shortbread and bake at 325 for 20-35 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature before placing in the fridge to let the bars finish setting.

Top with powdered sugar and slice!

overhead shot of seven lemon bars with flowers

3 Tricks For Making The Best Lemon Bars

Make sure you use a glass or ceramic dish when baking the lemon bars! Don't use metal or a mold. The metal leaves a weird taste to the lemon bars and the mold can't hold in the filling.
Fresh juice is always better. While using store-bought is convenient, the flavor of fresh squeezed lemons is unmatched. It takes about 4 ½ small lemons.
Work quickly. Once you mix the filling together, you may see a foam beginning to form. This isn't necessarily bad, but it will bake as a solid layer on top of your bars. You use a spoon to skim it off the top.

How To Store

Take the leftover lemon bars and place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

You could also freeze them for about 3 months! Forgo adding the powdered sugar on top and go straight to cutting them. Place them on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until firm. About an hour or so. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag or container. To thaw, simply place in the refrigerator and then dust with powdered sugar before serving!

stacked lemon bars on parchment with flowers and candied lemon slices

Choosing The Right Lemon & How To Get The Most Juice From It

Sounds a little silly, but there is actually a trick to this!

First things first, when you're at the store, don't go for the larger lemons. I know it's tempting, but generally... that size yields in quite a bit of rind. Not juice.
Pick them up! Use that scale you see by the other fruits. See what's heavier. The heavier the lemon, the more more juice it'll have.
Squeeze it gently. A thinner rind will have some give to it, whereas a thicker rind will be about as hard as a rock.

Now that you have your lemons, how do you get the most amount of juice... Well, let the lemons come to room temperature. That's always the first step. From there, roll them onto the counter until they're super soft and squishy! This will yield the most amount of juice. Especially if you're using a citrus juicer!

close up of stacked lemon bars with candied lemon slices and white flowers

Expert Tips

Make sure your eggs and lemons are at room temperature before baking!
Sift the flour. This will make it easier to incorporate into the filling. Also, sift the flour and sugar for the crust!
Be sure to leave no holes or air pockets in the crust before baking. Anything like this can cause the crust and the lemon filling to, quite literally, switch places.
Skim the foam off the top of the filling mixture if needed.
If you have a white crust on top of your lemon bars, It's okay! It’s actually the air from the eggs rising up to the surface. Some batches have it, some don’t. It doesn't the affect the taste, promise!
You can use blood oranges, naval oranges, or grapefruit in place of the lemon!
Check your oven temperature! Make sure they're accurate. A few degrees off could cause your bars to burn or be undercooked.
Want clean cuts? Be sure to wipe the knife after each cut!

When you make these Easy Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

Recipe