Lemon Bars With Shortbread Crust
Love lemon? These easy, one-bowl lemon bars have a tangy filling, buttery crust, and bright flavour from real fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 368kcal
Equipment
- 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan
- Baking spray
- Parchment paper
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Hand or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Microplane or other fine grater
- Citrus squeezer or juicer
- Fine mesh sieve optional
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
For The Shortbread Crust
- ½ cup salted butter, plus 2 tablespoons softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For The Lemon Filling
- 3 medium lemons
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- ¼ teaspoon iodized table salt
Instructions
Make The Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly spray a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan with baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang to use as handles on all four sides.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Cream together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Sift in the flour and add the salt. Mix at low speed until the dry bits are incorporated and the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- Dump the crumbs into the prepared pan. Use your hands to press the crumbs into an even layer. Place the crust in the preheated oven and bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until the edges turn golden.
Make The Lemon Filling
- While the crust is in the oven, make the lemon filling. Wash and dry the lemons, then zest one directly into the same mixing bowl you used to make the crust.
- Slice the zested lemon in half and squeeze into a measuring cup. Repeat with the other lemons until you have ½ cup (125 ml) of lemon juice.
- Add the lemon juice, sugar, and eggs to the bowl. Mix everything on low-medium speed until the eggs are well mixed. Sift in the flour and add the salt. Mix on low-medium until smooth with no visible lumps of flour remaining.
- Remove the crust from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Pour the lemon filling over the crust, scraping any excess from the bowl into the pan. Carefully return the lemon bars to the oven and bake for another 18 to 20 minutes. The bars are done when the filling is no longer wet or wobbly when the pan is nudged. Return the pan to the cooling rack. Cool the bars completely before slicing.
Notes
- You can omit the lemon zest if you want.
- Mix the lemon filling at a low-medium speed to avoid adding too much air, which can cause bubbles or cracks.
- Cool the bars in the pan to help them set evenly.
Storage
- Once completely cool, store the lemon bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- You can freeze lemon bars in a single layer, then transfer them to a container with parchment between layers—thaw them in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 431IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg