A great treat for gatherings bursting with sweet-tart lemon taste on a buttery shortbread base. These yummy lemon bars are everything a true lemon bar should be. They belong in your recipe collection for all those gatherings.
My wife was having a knitting group, and a treat was needed to go with the tea. My wife suggested Lemon bars from a particular cookbook. Unfortunately, it was not there. I searched various cookbooks but nothing worth discussing. So online time.
I started at Cooks Illustrated as usually, but the recipe went on and on and on and on. I got some hints, but I wasn’t jumping through all those hoops. I finally zeroed in on All Recipes The Best Lemon Bars. With a 4.5 star rating, simple instructions, and ingredients, it was for me. I read several hundred of the reviews and had my plan with modifications from comment land.
My Rating
A 4 or 5 depending on if you’re a “lemon bar person” or not. But even the “not” will enjoy this. Better than any lemon bar I have tasted.
Recipe Notes on Yummy Lemon Bars
Lots of recipes add some lemon zest for more taste. That is fine if you want, but I don’t feel it is needed.
Next baking dish. The model recipe suggested ungreased, while Cooks Illustrated goes with a two crossed sheets of parchment paper. Other recipes greased the pan and some just the sides. Quite some variation. I suggest parchment on the bottom and greased sides. You will still need to use a knife around the outside to remove. Do not follow the “ungreased” recommendation.
This would be an easy recipe to cut in half with a smaller baking dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9 by 13 baking dish. Give it a light brush of butter then cover bottom with parchment paper.
Soften 1 cup (two sticks) of butter in the microwave. Mix the softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. If unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. It will look crumbly.
Press into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until firm and golden.
Whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 cup flour. Add 4 eggs and 2/3 cup lemon juice. Mix well.
Pour the lemon/egg mixture over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar.
Cool in refrigerator before cutting into 2-inch squares.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 24 | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 40 minutes |
|
|
| A great treat for gatherings bursting with sweet-tart lemon taste on a buttery shortbread base. These yummy lemon bars are everything a true lemon bar should be.
|
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2/3 cup lemon juice about the juice of 3-4 lemons
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9 by 13 baking dish. Give it a light brush of butter then cover bottom with parchment paper.
- Soften 1 cup (two sticks) of butter in the microwave. Mix the softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. If unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. It will look crumbly. Press into the bottom of prepared pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until firm and golden.
- Whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/3 cup flour. Add in 4 eggs and 2/3 cup lemon juice. Mix well.
- Pour the lemon/egg mixture over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Cool in refigerator before cutting into 2-inch squares.
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All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
February 7, 2017
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Dee
This looks delicious. Is that icing/powdered/confectioners sugar in with the eggs?
DrDan
No that is just the flour before I did the whisking.
Dan
Carolyn R.
This recipe looks delicious, but I noticed that he filling directions say to mix in 1/4 cup flour, however the ingredients list 1/3 cup flour, which is the correct amount of flour for the filling?
Carolyn
This recipe looks delicious, but I noticed that he filling directions say to mix in 1/4 cup flour, however the ingredients show 1/3 cup flour, which is the correct amount of flour for the filling? Also, I’m wondering if this recipe can be halved using an 8″ square pan?
DrDan
1/3 is correct. I had to up the flour for some extra lemon juice. Fixed.
The area of the 13X9 pan is 117 sq. inches. The 8×8 is 64 so close enough. A 6X8 baking dish would also do. A nine inch round is about 64 sq. inches also.
Dan
Carolyn
I halved the recipe and made an 8″ square pan size. These were really good and very easy. I needed to add a few minutes more to the cook time when browning the base. I wasn’t sure what the lemon filling’s appearance should look like when finished (it puffed up a little while cooking) but I cooked it till it was set without any wet spots. My only problem was when I poured the lemon filling in and some flowed under one edge of the cookie base. I think next time I might make a bit of a ridge at the edge to keep the filling enclosed at the sides. I’m also wondering about storage – refrigerate or room temp, tightly or loosely covered?
Thanks so much for the recipe!