Easy Homemade Lemon Bars
These Easy Homemade Lemon Bars are a wonderful treat. Full of bright and zesty flavor, plus a deliciously buttery shortbread crust, this classic is a family favorite! These are the best homemade lemon bars I have tasted. I usually give all of our leftover cookies and treats away to our neighbors so I don’t eat them all, but this is the only recipe my wife won’t let me give away, so you know they are that good.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO THEM
HOW TO PREPARE LEMON BARS?
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Make sure it’s pushed into all the corners and up the sides of the pan. Make sure to spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
Prepare your food processor with the blade attachment add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and powdered sugar and combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly.
Place the crust mixture into the baking dish and press it down with your fingers evenly along the bottom and around the sides. Place the pan into the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes until it’s lightly golden.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.
When the crust is finished baking stir the lemon filling one more time before pouring it over the crust. Pop the baking dish back into the oven for an additional 30-35 minutes. The lemon filling will firm up. Let the bars cool completely before you try to cut them.
To cut, use the foil that is hanging over the edges and lift the lemon bars out of the pan. Loosen the foil from the edges of the crust and with a sharp knife cut into squares. Use a sifter to dust the top with powdered sugar. You can store the Lemon Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
CAN LEMON BARS BE FROZEN?
Easy Homemade Lemon Bars can be frozen. To freeze the bars, let them cool completely and cover them tightly with aluminum foil and freeze them for up to three months. Before serving, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cut the bars and then sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
PRO TIPS WHEN MAKING LEMON BARS
- Use fresh lemon juice. Lemons are the key ingredient so you don’t want to use the bottled version.
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper or foil to make it very easy to remove from the pan.
- If the bars seem not quite done when you pull them from the oven, they will continue to set as they cool.
- Lemon bars are a great make-ahead dessert.
- Don’t skip the chill time for the crust, you need it for the bars to set up.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DO LEMON BARS NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED?
Lemon bars should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated in order to prevent bacterial growth or foodborne illness. The filling in lemon bars is made with eggs which can become a breeding ground for bacteria if it’s kept at room temperature.
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE DONE BAKING?
You will know your lemon bars are done when the center does not jiggle and the edges are browned. As the bars cool the filling in the middle will continue to firm. Follow the recommended baking time but if the bars seem runny you can give them an additional 3-5 minutes.
HOW DO YOU CUT THEM SO CLEANLY?
Place the lemon bars into the freezer to chill for about 15 minutes before cutting. Line the pan with foil or parchment, and use the two ends of the foil that hang over the edge of the lemon bars to lift the entire sheet out onto a cutting board for easy cutting.
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Famous Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
Easy Homemade Lemon Bars
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking dish
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 1¾ Cup Flour
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Sticks Unsalted Butter (cubed into pieces)
Lemon Filling
- 6 Eggs
- 2¼ Cups Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Lemon Zest
- ⅔ Cup Lemon Juice (squeezed)
- ¾ Cup Flour
Instructions
- To begin Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Make sure it's pushed into all the corners and up the sides of the pan. Make sure to spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare your food processor with the blade attachment add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and powdered sugar and combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly.
- Place the crust mixture into the baking dish and press it down with your fingers evenly along the bottom and around the sides. Place the pan into the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bake crust for 15-20 minutes until it's lightly golden.
Prepare the Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.
Adding the Filling to the Crust
- When the crust is finished baking stir the lemon filling one more time before pouring it over the crust. Pop the baking dish back into the oven for an additional 30-35 minutes. The lemon filling will firm up. Let the bars cool completely before you try to cut them.
- To cut, use the foil that is hanging over the edges and lift the lemon bars out of the pan. Loosen the foil from the edges of the crust and with a sharp knife cut into squares. Use a sifter to dust the top with powdered sugar.
- You can store the Lemon Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Enjoy!