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How to bake the best lemon bars ever

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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.

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

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Lemon Bars on White Plate and Blue and White Plate with Powdered Sugar
Print
How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Resting time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 

Bake some of the best lemon bars ever with this easy recipe using fresh lemon and lemon zest. 

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bars, Dessert, Lemon
Servings: 24
Calories: 312 kcal
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 TB grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
Topping
  • 1/4 cup Powdered sugar for dusting as needed
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. 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 in the freezer for 10 minutes.

  3. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.

  4. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Using real lemons makes all the difference. Pour over crust and bake for 30  minutes, until filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into 20 - 24 squares or 40 triangles.
Recipe 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 Facts
How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 312 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 73mg 24%
Sodium 100mg 4%
Potassium 53mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Sugars 36g
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 7.1%
Vitamin C 6.7%
Calcium 1.4%
Iron 6.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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. 

Updated from April 2013.

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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?
    My recent post Travel Snapshots: The Waters Of Bali

    Reply

  14. This Lemon Bar recipe looks delicious. We love lemon I can't wait to try this with the kids.
    My recent post Four Almond Milk Recipes: No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake #SilkAlmondBlends #shop

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Candi Elm and A Day in Candiland  is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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