How to bake the best lemon bars ever

If you want to brighten up your day, bake up some of the best lemon bars ever.

I have a friend who loves lemon bars, she calls them lemon squares,  and it was recently her birthday. She sent me a text that she would really like some, so I whipped some up for her.
Unfortunately for her, we couldn’t get together right away so I took them to a family reunion we had. I promised her some more when we got together. By the way, if you love all things lemon, try these other lemon recipes also.

When we got back a few days later, I made them again and we got together and ate her lemon bars. We were both in Heaven.

You can never eat just one and I think by cutting them into little triangles you don’t feel like you’re eating too much. Until you notice most of them are gone. If you can’t get enough Lemon, try this lemon curd recipe.

The Best Lemon Bars Ever

The Best Lemon Bars ever on blue and white plate
The Best Lemon Bars from A Day in Candiland
Lemon Bars on White Plate and Blue and White Plate with Powdered Sugar
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5 from 1 vote

How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever

Bake some of the best lemon bars ever with this easy recipe using fresh lemon and lemon zest. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade lemon bars, lemon bars
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 519kcal
Author Candi Elm

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 sticks butter room temp
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • pinch kosher salt

Filling

  • 6 eggs Jumbo or Extra Large and room temp
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon grated lemon zest Approx 2 lemons
  • 1 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed preferrably
  • 1 cup all purpose flour

Topping

  • 1/4 cup Powdered sugar for dusting as needed

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • For the crust, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and add to butter mixture. Line a 9 X 13" pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Put the dough into the pan and sprinkle with flour and using a small roller or your hands, roll into the pan building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. 
  • Put pan in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking
  • Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Make the filling while the crust is baking. Remove from the oven.
  • For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Using real lemons makes all the difference. Mix again just before you pour over the crust and bake for 30 minutes, until filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into 20 – 24 squares or 40 triangles. It's easier to cut if you refrigerate for 30 minutes after completely cool.

Notes

After you bake the crust, freeze the baking pan for 10 minutes.
The filling should be poured into the warm crust right after baking. Prepare the filling while the crust is in the freezer. 
The baking time may vary for the filling. Make sure your oven is calibrated and that you understand your baking time based on your oven settings. Do not underbake the filling or the bars won’t hold up. 
Sift powdered sugar on bars right before consuming. 
When slicing, make sure the bars are cold and use a clean sharp knife. I cut all the edges off so that the bars are all pretty. Then I eat the edges. Yum. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 591IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg

Can Lemon Bars be Frozen?

Lemon bars can be frozen after they are cooled. Once they are sliced, (make sure they are cold when sliced and use a sharp knife and clean off after each slice), you can separate each slice and individually wrap in plastic wrap. They can be stored frozen up to two months.

The best Lemon Bars ever on White Plate and Blue and White Plate with Powdered Sugar

Do Lemon Bars need to be refrigerated?

Lemon bars can be left covered on the counter for a few hours, but are best refrigerated because of the custard, curd type filling.

Are you a lemon lover? What are your favorite lemon recipes? Share them with me in the comment section and find a few more recipes below.  Make sure you sign up for my weekly emails and receive a free Baking Ingredient Comparison Chart. 

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29 Comments

  6. Hi Candi! I'm visting from SITS and when I saw the words "Lemon Bar" I just HAD to take a peak. You have a very lucky friend and now I'm putting these on my list for my birthday. I would totally go for lemon bars over a birthday cake! (Or brownies) haha! Looking forward to getting to know you better!

    Reply

  8. I actually love lemon bars— but still avoiding gluten…..have you made the crust gf before? If so what did you use?
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  14. This Lemon Bar recipe looks delicious. We love lemon I can't wait to try this with the kids.
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