No-Fail Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust

overhead shot of twelve lemon bars on parchment paper with flowers, lemon slices, forks, stack of white plates, and measuring cup full of powdered sugar

No-Fail Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust

Silky, tart, perfectly sweet, and extra summery. These No-Fail Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust are a must-bake any time of year, but especially during the summer months!

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1

Refrigeration Time: 30

Total Time: 2

Servings:

Calories: 362kcal

Ingredients

Crust

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
10 Tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

2 cups sugar
16 large egg yolks
1 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
¾ cup salted butter, room temperature

Instructions

Crust

Line a 9-inch square ceramic or glass baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour and powdered sugar.
Add butter.
Beat with an electric mixer until it looks like corn meal, about 2-3 minutes.
Add egg yolks and vanilla.
Continue to mix until it forms a smooth dough, about 2-3 minutes.
Turn dough into prepared pan.
Press dough down to cover bottom of pan evenly.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
While crust is chilling, heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake crust until lightly browned around edges, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove to cooling rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Filling

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Place over the top of a pot of simmering water.
Cook while stirring until curd has thickened to a pudding consistency, about 20-30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
Whisk in butter.
Pour on top of baked crust.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until mostly set.
Remove from oven.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Make sure your eggs, butter, and lemons are at room temperature!
Sift the flour and powdered sugar for the crust. This ensures no lumps!
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.
Allow the bars to cool completely before lifting out of the pan.
Before lifting out of the pan, take a small knife and cut the custard away from the parchment paper. You shouldn't have to cut all the way down, just the very top.
Want clean cuts? Be sure to wipe the knife after each cut!

Nutrition