Lemon Bars

These Easy Lemon Bars were always my favorite dessert when I was a kid.  I adored the shortbread crust, the layer of fresh lemon curd and a generous layer of powdered sugar dusted on top.  This is my mom’s famous lemon squares recipe but with a few tweaks I’ve made over the years to up the lemon flavor just a bit.  They make the best dessert for summer and kids love them!

I am completely, anxiously, impatiently waiting for the arrival of summer.  I’m not sure why this past winter has seemed longer than others but cold, cloudy Minnesota winter days have stolen a piece of my soul.  Since the summer season is short around here, I do tend to rush into both my summer wardrobe and my summer menus.

These bars perfectly represent everything that is good about summer.  They are light, sweet and perfectly satisfying.  The addition of lemon zest makes the real lemon flavor shine.  One of my favorite tools in the kitchen is my fabulous microplane.  I use it for zesting lemons, grating fresh parmesan cheese and even for mincing garlic cloves.

The only hard part about this recipe is waiting for the lemon bars to completely cool.  I know it will be tempting to bust into them but try to control yourself.  Please.  The lemon curd really does need to completely cool for the best results when cutting the bars.  I believe in you.  You can do it 🙂

If you love lemon recipes, then don’t miss out on my favorite Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes!

Easy Lemon Bars

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These easy lemon bars are simply the best! Buttery shortbread crust and fresh lemon juice and zest make all the difference.

• Total Time: 58 minutes
• Yield: 12 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crust

• 2 C flour
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 C unsalted butter

Filling

• 4 eggs
• 2 C sugar
• 1/3 C fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• zest of two lemons
• 1/4 C flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

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Instructions

1. Combine crust ingredients in your food processor and pulse until butter is well combined and in about pea size balls. Pour into greased 9×13 pan, and press evenly across the bottom until the crust comes together. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown, about 18 minutes.
2. While crust bakes, combine filling ingredients and pour over the hot crust once it has baked. Return it to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Allow bars to cool completely before cutting. It helps to refrigerate the bars overnight if you have the time before cutting. Dust the top with sifted powdered sugar.

• Author: Carole Jones
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 48 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 411
• Sugar: 42g
• Sodium: 71mg
• Fat: 17g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 62g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 102mg

**My friend, this post contains Amazon affiliate links which means I receive a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link, at no additional cost to you.   And no worries….I only link to products that I both use and love! ~Carole