Lemon Bars

It only takes 8 simple ingredients to make these bright and tangy lemon bars. Creamy, tart lemon curd sits on top of crisp, buttery shortbread to create a nostalgic crowd-pleasing treat. Incredibly simple to make and perfect for bake sales, baby showers, picnics, and any time you crave a delicious treat! 

Why you'll love them

Lemon desserts are a personal favorite of my family's. There is nothing better than biting into a treat that tastes basically like sunshine. 

These bars have a thick, buttery crust that melts in your mouth. The filling is bright with a delicious balance of sweet and tart. They're visually striking and are so simple to put together. These lemon bars are also the inspiration behind my lemon bar cookies. This makes a delicious quick dessert you can make any time. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool!

You only need a few simple ingredients and some time to create a delicious shareable treat.  It's been well-tested over the years and shown to be one of the best lemon desserts you can bake. It's won awards and the hearts of anyone who tries them. 

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make the best lemon bars you've ever tried. These are the ingredients we use, why, and any substitutions. 

• Flour - Although this is the main ingredient for the shortbread, it is also in the filling to help set the bars to give it the signature creamy texture. You can use almost any type of flour in this recipe, but I recommend not using cake flour as it is too tender to hold up to the heavy lemon filling. 
• Butter - This adds rich flavor to the shortbread. I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe. 
• Sugar - The sugar adds sweetness, enhances the other flavors, and tapers down the tartness of the lemon. Using powdered sugar gives you a crisp shortbread crust.  
• Salt - Salt brings out and enhances the flavors of everything else, while also keeping the treat from being overly sweet. 
• Lemon - The main star of the bar. It brings an unmistakable bright, tart flavor that we all love. I used pink and Meyer lemons, but any lemon works in this bar. I recommend sticking to fresh lemon juice. Add in freshly grated lemon zest to amp up the lemon flavor. You can also substitute it with limes or grapefruit for other fun citrusy twists. 
• Eggs - We use the eggs to set and bind the filling of the bars to keep them just firm enough to stay together when you cut them. 
• Vanilla - I like a touch of pure vanilla extract to round out the flavors and give these lemon bars the perfect balance of flavor. It is optional, but elevate things beautifully.

How to bake

1. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper. This prevents your bars from sticking and makes it easier to remove.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients for the shortbread in a large bowl, then cut in the butter until the mixture looks like crumbs. 
3. Press the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake crust until a very light golden brown. 
4. Stir together the mixture for the lemon filling in a medium bowl while the crust bakes and pour over the still hot shortbread. 
5. Bake until the lemon filling is set. Cool until it's at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. Cut with a sharp knife once chilled. Dust the cooled bars with confectioners' sugar. 

Expert tips

You can use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients for the shortbread, but to make things faster, you can transfer everything into a food processor. 

For added lemon flavor, you can incorporate lemon zest in the crust, in the filling, and/or sprinkled over top after you dust them with powdered sugar.

Pouring the filling over the hot shortbread allows the filling to set more evenly and not sink under the crust. You will know the filling is set when it doesn't jiggle when you give the pan a slight shake. 

Rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results. 

Troubleshooting tips

• Runny lemon bars - This is a common issue for people who are making lemon bars for the first time. Usually, it just means that you need to bake your bars longer. If your bars seem to brown at the edges, you can cover them with aluminum foil and turn down the heat. The bars should be set at the edges and jiggly without being runny in the middle. They will set fully as they cool. 
• Cracks - Cracks happen a lot when either when the lemon mixture if beaten a lot or you bake your bars at too high of a temperature and take them out of the oven. The dramatic change in temperature will sometimes create these cracks. They do not affect the taste, and you can cover it with powdered sugar. 
• Upside down bars - On rare occasions, bars can come out looking upside down as though the crust is on the top and most of the filling is at the bottom. Usually, this happens either when there is a big space between the crust and the sides of the pan and/or the crust is cooled down too much before you add the filling. The hot crust and pan help to quickly cool the filling on top of the crust and sides to prevent it from sinking below the crust. 
• Air bubbles - If you notice a lot of air bubbles, or even an entire layer of white air bubbles over the top of the bars, this is actually normal. It stems from air being incorporated into the egg when you mix it into the lemon filling. It doesn't always happen, but it has no affect on the taste of the bars. You can always dust the top of the bars with confectioners' sugar to hide the flaws. 

Storage tips

Once the bars are completely cooled and chilled, you can store your lemon bars. You should keep your bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you need to layer them, I recommend placing a sheet of parchment paper between them.

You can also freeze your bars. First, cut the bars and freeze them on a sheet. Once frozen, place them in an airtight container. To thaw, place your bars in the refrigerator for a few hours before bringing to room temperature. 

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