February is birthday season in our home (although we do have a lone Libra who keeps the rest of us balanced, thank goodness) and lemon squares are always part of the fun!
We’ve had plenty of practice, tried many (many) recipes and always come back to this one… tangy, delicious, just the right balance of tart/sweet with a lemon-infused shortbread crust. Oh my…
Quite a treat!
One of the most important criteria for me in a lemon bar is that it taste like …
lemon.
Obvious, right?
And yet, how many lemon bars have you courted that could pass as a distant relative (nay imposter) to the mouth-puckering winter wonder. I’ve kissed a few frogs myself…
Balance, yes, but a mouthful of sweet in the absence of that irresistible tangy counter-punch? noooo.
(also my husband says my lightly dusted lemon squares (above) – which is how we eat them – look like croutons so i went with a bigger dumping on some of them; you decide).
Top Tips for Success
- pan size — I recommend holding to the 8″ square pan here — if you use a larger pan, the crust (and filling) will be spread too thin
- biscuit base — resist pulling out the biscuit crust too soon from the oven — you don’t want it to burn but you do want it to aquire some nice golden colour with darker edges for ideal texture
- amount of lemon juice — i recommend sticking with the 1/2 cup of lemon juice in this recipe — when I first started making these I would add more (I love the tartness) — but if you’re overly generous, your filling won’t firm up (that darn baking chemistry stuff) — stick to the measurements for ideal results.
these are good, hope you like them too!
- For the Shortbread Crust:
- 113 g (8 Tbsp) butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- pinch salt (1/4 tsp) if using unsalted butter
- 150 g (1 full cup) all-purpose flour
- For the Lemon Filling:
- 185 g (scant cup) sugar
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 118 mL (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice (i'm using meyer lemon)
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (lots of compostable papers now) nb: i don't recommend using a larger pan because this will spread the biscuit base (and topping) too thin.
- To make the shortbread crust: combine: melted butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest & salt (if using) in a medium sized bowl. Add flour and mix just until combined. Invert the dough into the pan pressing down to spread evenly over the bottom surface. Place pan in oven and bake until crust is golden brown in the center and a deeper brown along edges, about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate medium sized bowl, prepare the filling: whisk together sugar and flour and then whisk in eggs until blended. Finally whisk in lemon zest & lemon juice.
- Once crust has baked, carefully slide the pan out of the oven just long enough to pour the filling over top and then return pan to the oven and reduce the temperature to 300°F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, until the topping is puffed at the edges and no longer jiggles in the center (it's normal to have a thin layer of foam on the surface, this does not impact the taste and with a light dusting of powder before serving you will not see it). Transfer pan to a rack and let cool completely (this is the HARD part ... if you cut into the squares before they are cool, you'll end up with a slippy slidey (albeit tasty) mess; best to wait to be able to cut clean (ish) squares -- also, the shortbread crust firms up with time -- my approach is to let them sit 20-30 minutes on the counter and another 30 mins in fridge before lifting the liner and transferring to a cutting surface and cutting into squares. Dust with powder (if you wish) before serving (if you dust before the bars are cool the sugar will simply melt & disappear, another reason to wait :).
- Store the bars in a sealed container in the fridge (the biscuit stays crispy/firm for about 2-3 days).
I am with you! I want my lemon bars to have a tang, not just sweet. Too many that I’ve tried have too much sugar and not enough lemon. Thanks for working to get just the right balance, I can tell from the color that these are LEMON bars, not just a sweet treat with a hint of lemon. Beautiful job Kelly!
These look amazing! Did you use a stencil for the heart?
hi monica! yeah, i drew a couple hearts on a piece of thin cardboard, cut them out and then picked the one that resembled a heart most haha — thanks for stopping by.
We love a good lemon bar, particularly one that is balanced, like these. I totally know what you mean about imposter lemon, been there done that. This one looks quite custardy which is also a favourite. I think you would like Martha’s classic shaker lemon tarte.❤️
hi eva! i’ll have to check out martha’s shakers :) thanks for the tip
These are absolutely my favorite of all time. How could anyone resist the beautiful tart lemony yellow filling and crunchy bottom. The inclusion of zest in the crust is an extra bonus and definitely adds a new texture and flavor element.
love sharing food with you <3 x