Bright and zippy lemons bars with a buttery shortbread crust and tangy lemon filling. Easy to make and totally delicious! Only 7 ingredients to make these AMAZING lemon bars!
These Easy Lemon Bars are a super easy dessert to make and are guaranteed to please. One taste and I’m sure you’ll agree that this recipe should be in your recipe box? The tasty filling of these bright lemon bars bakes up slightly firm so they’re perfect for little hands.
How To Make Easy Lemon Bars
First, gather your ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Lemons – do use fresh lemons, not bottled lemon juice. Zest the lemons with a microplane zester before slicing
- Flour – all-purpose flour combined with sugar and butter make a delicious shortbread crust.
- Sugar – white granulated sugar was our choice for this recipe. Brown sugar can be substituted.
- Eggs – whole large eggs.
- Butter – we always specify unsalted butter for our recipes because different manufacturers add different amounts of salt to salted butter, up to 1/3 teaspoon salt per stick The simplest way to have uniform results from a recipe is to use unsalted butter then add the salt separately.
- Vanilla – adds flavor and delicious aroma.
Now, make the Easy Lemon Bars:
Start by mixing the ingredients for the crust. Press into your pan with fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup. Pop into the oven and bake until golden and firm. For super easy cutting after baking, line your pan with a piece of parchment paper. No greasing of the pan needed either way.
Next, whisk together the lemon filling and pour over the baked crust. Bake for about 25 minutes, then let cool for an hour. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours after that. Sprinkle over powdered sugar then cut into bars.
Store leftover lemon bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Pro Tips To Make The Best Easy Lemon Bars
- Line your baking dish. It will be oh so easy to remove from the pan and cutting will be a breeze when the pan is lined with parchment paper. Just tip the pan to the side and slide onto a flat surface.
- Take a few minutes to make sure the crust is pressed into an even layer. It will ensure each bar has an even layer of lemon filling on top.
- LEMONS are the star of this show! ALWAYS use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Bonus: fresh lemon zest!
- Whisk together filling ingredients until very well mixed. If mixing by hand it may take several minutes of whisking.
- Bars will fully set as they cool. Take them from the oven when the filling is set around the edges and center is still a little soft.
Freezing Easy Lemon Bars
Lemon Bars are a great dessert to make ahead and freeze. Chill and cut into bars, then wrap individually in plastic. When ready to serve, thaw in refrigerator then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
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Easy Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 2-1/3 cups all purpose flour divided 2 cups for crust and 1/3 cup for filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar divided 1/2 cup for crust and 1-1/2 cups for filling
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Beat together 2 cups flour, butter and 1/2 cup sugar using stand mixer with paddle attachment or mix in a food processor. Sprinkle the dough into prepared pan and press down into an even layer. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
- In large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup flour and 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar. Whisk in eggs, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest until completely combined. Pour mixture over baked crust.
- Transfer pan to over and bake 25 minutes. Filling should be firm around edges and slightly soft in center. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before covering pan and chilling for at least 4 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars with sharp knife. Clean knife after each cut.
- Store leftover bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
