Easy Lemon Bars
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make these Easy Lemon Bars. They’re a combination of buttery shortbread with a thick and creamy lemon filling on top that is perfectly set. The key to getting it dreamy and light is to make sure you bake it the right amount. It all comes together to make an irresistible bar that just screams warm weather!
Hi friends! Popping in today with these happy Lemon Bars. really easy to make and pack an impressive flavor punch. Using real lemons that you squeeze fresh is key to making these an amazing lemon treat.
These lemon bars have an ultra smooth and creamy lemon filling which sit on top of a buttery shortbread base making them an absolute winner! I love making lemon desserts because they’re just so happy looking and I love the smell of lemons in the house. If you’re looking for more happy lemon desserts, try my Moist Lemon Pound Cake, Lemon Tart or my Lemon Crinkle Cookies!
Why you should use fresh lemons.
You want to use fresh lemons here! The zest helps give the buttery base a lovely aromatic dose of lemon and the lemon filling just shines with the use of fresh lemons! Reconstituted lemons are a no-no for this recipe. They just taste dull compared to the real thing.
Wash Your lemons
Make sure you wash your lemons under warm water to make sure they don’t have any wax on them which helps them look shiny on store shelves. Especially since you’ll be zesting these!
Why you’ll love these Lemon Bars
Two things. The buttery biscuit base at the bottom. And the gooey lemon filling.
- Buttery, easy to make crust
- Perfectly lemony and sweet with each bite.
- Silky smooth lemon filling
- Perfectly set lemon filling – FOOLPROOF!
The secret to getting silky smooth Lemon Bars
Make sure you don’t overbake your lemon bars! It will result in a rubbery bar. The best way to ensure sure these bake soft and creamy is to
- Oven temperature – Make sure your oven is set at the right temperature. Use an oven thermometer if you’re unsure if your oven runs at the right temperature.
- Bake until jiggly in the center – You’ll know these are finished baking when you move the tin and they jiggle slightly in the middle. They continue baking in the tin after they come out of the oven and will set perfectly as they cool.
There are only 7 ingredients!
- All-purpose flour – also known as plain flour. You could use cake flour and leave out the corn starch if you wish.
- Corn starch – also known as corn flour, this helps make the base a little lighter in texture.
- Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar, this will help sweeten the base but still make the crumb fine and crumbly.
- Salt – I use fine salt.
- Lemons – I used lemon zest in the base to help boost the lemon flavors in these gorgeous bars. I used zest and lemon juice in the filling. The result is that you’re left with a huge flavor punch of lemon.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure your butter is nice and chill, straight out of the fridge. Cut it into cubes to make it easier to process. Using cold butter will also
- Caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar, this will dissolve into the filling easier than granulated sugar.
How to make Lemon Bars
Shortbread Base
- Add the dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine before adding cold butter.
- Pulse until you reach lentil sized pieces of butter. It’s going to look crumbly and dry, but trust me, it will bake perfectly!
- Pour the crumbs into the base and bake until golden (full instructions in the recipe card!)
How to Make The Lemon Filing
- Mix all of the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour on top of the baked base as soon as it comes out of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. The center will be slightly jiggly.
Cooling Your Bars
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature before placing in the fridge for 4 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and slice before serving.
How to get perfectly clean bars
There’s an easy trick your favorite food bloggers use to get those perfectly clean looking bars for their photos. Simple run your large knife under hot or boiling water, dry carefully with a clean towel and then slice. Clean the knife, run under hot or boiling water and dry before slicing again. It’s time consuming but totally worth those super sharp looking bars!
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- Your shortbread mixture will look super crumbly. That’s normal. It all bakes and comes together in the oven. Bake until lightly golden.
- When mixing your lemon filling, try not to overmix as this can over aerate the mixture which will lead to large bubbles on top of your bars. Still taste amazing through!
- You’ll know your bars are finished baking when there’s a slight jiggle in the center. They’ll set perfectly as they cool.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill for 4 hours. This will make slicing them up much easier!
- Don’t overbake your lemon bars or you’ll end up with a rubbery lemon layer instead of something that’s nice and gooey.
- Use fresh lemons! Reconstituted lemon juice lacks the flavour punch that fresh lemons give you. And since this is the main selling point of this dessert, you want to make sure you use the best of everything!
Why are there bubbles on top of my lemon bars?
That’s normal! The bubbles are the air that you whisked into the lemon filling as it was being baked. Simply let the filling rest for 5 minutes before pouring into the biscuit base, then bake. If they remain after baking, never fear! These will be dusted with powdered sugar and covered up!
Why is this recipe is in grams and not cups?
The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistent results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!
Can I make Lemon Bars in advance?
Yes! These are an easy dessert to travel with which makes the perfect gift giving treat! You can make these up to 3 days in advance. Just don’t dust them with powdered sugar until right before they’re served!
Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
If you loved this recipe, check these out!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Luscious Lemon Bars
These luscious lemon bars begin with a buttery biscuit base and are topped with a baked lemon curd which is extra thick and creamy.
Serves 9
Ingredients
Shortbread Base
- 75 g all-purpose flour, plain flour
- 30 g corn flour, corn starch
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 lemon zested, see notes
- 125 g unsalted butter, cold
Lemon Filing
- 1 lemon zested
- 300 g caster sugar, superfine sugar
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 6 large eggs, 55g each
- 250 g lemon juice, about 4 large lemons
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Shortbread Base
- Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180C / 350F (180C / 395F for no fan). Spray a 20cm / 8-inch square cake tin with oil spray and line with baking paper.
- Make the biscuit crumb – Add the all-purpose flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, salt, and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and blitz for about 30-40 seconds until you reach pea sized butter.
- Bake – Pour into the cake tin and spread out. Press down firmly using our hands or a flat-bottomed glass/measuring cup. Bake for 8 minutes or until light and golden. While the crust is baking, make the filling.
Lemon Filing
- Lower oven temperature – Lower your oven temperature to 150C / 300F (170C / 340F for no fan).
- Make lemon filling – Add the lemon zest, caster sugar and flour to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine. Then add the eggs and lemon juice. Whisk until just combined. Take care not to overmix! We don’t want to over-aerate the filling.
- Bake – As soon as the crust is baked, pour the filling on top. Bake for 22 minutes or until the middle is set and only has a slight jiggle. The top should barely be golden. Take care not to overbake or it will feel like eating rubber and won’t be perfectly gooey.
- Cool down – Once baked, allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then chill in the fridge for 4 hours to set. Dust with powdered sugar and then use a large knife to slice up.
- For super clean slices – Run a large knife under hot water and dry. Make a slice. Wash under hot running water and dry again before the next slice. This is how to get nice sharp edges!
Notes
Lemons – wherever you buy your lemons, make sure you give them a good scrub under some warm water to rid them of that shiny wax coating they put on them at the store to make them look shiny. Nobody wants to eat that!
Storage
These Lemon Bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
Baking
Don’t overbake your lemon bars or you’ll end up with a rubbery lemon layer instead of something that’s nice and gooey.
Storage – Lemon Bars can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to four days.
Nutrition – is an approximate and is based on per slice. This recipe makes 9 bars.
A note on measurements – this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precision and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales!
Nutrition
Calories : 394kcal
Carbonhydrates: 32g
Protein: 6g
Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat : 4g
Trans Fat : 0.5g
Cholesterol: 154mg
Sodium: 178mg
Potassium : 191mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar : 16g
Vitamin A: 527IU
Vitamin C: 23mg
Calcium: 35mg
Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Gave this recipe a go?Mention @thescranline or tag #thescranline!
previous post
8 comments
Hi. 1/12 c of butter? Did you mean 1/2 cup? Typo? (I make those all the time!) this recipe looks incredible, and I have all the ingredients to try it today. 💖
Hi Juliana! Hmm, looks like the recipe has been updated 🙂 N x
The filling is delicious! However i did the paper the same way as you in the video but for some reason my filling leaked beneath the base biscuit layer and then didn’t firm up properly, when i tried to remove and cut everything was a disaster and paper was stuck everywhere and i couldn’t figure it out.
It was a wonderful mess but next time i’ll line the tin differently i think!
Oh no, sorry to hear that Stefanie! N x
I made this today with lemons from our tree. It was so easy and absolutely delicious. I used half the amount of sugar for the filling. I’ll be making this again for sure.
That’s so good to hear! N x
Made this today and it’s overly sweet, not enjoyable to eat and ended up being thrown out. I think I will make it again but will be reducing the sugar to see how it turns out.
Yeah, this is a sweet dessert lol. Reducing sugar will not result in a dessert stable enough to hold its shape. I understand it’s not for you, but every single recipe is the same. It’s very tart and sweet. Thanks for the 4 stars though!