Golden sweet-tart lemon bars are like squares of sunshine. While perhaps they’re not as common as their chocolaty cousin, the brownie, these lemon squares have been a classic treat for decades. No one really knows where the confection originated, but lemon bar recipes started appearing in newspapers and cookbooks sometime in the middle of the 20th century. This lemon dessert starts with a buttery shortbread crust that is prebaked but still warm when the simple lemon filling is poured on top. Once baked and cooled, the filling has a tender, sticky texture similar to lemon curd, but fortified with a bit of flour to keep it stable.
The strength of the lemon flavor in your bars will depend on what kind of lemons you use. The fruits marked “lemon” in the supermarket are Eureka or Lisbon lemons, but you could also try using sweeter Meyer lemons if you prefer a less tart dessert. You could also add a bit of lemon zest to your filling or to the crust to bump up the citrusy flavor.
Because both the shortbread crust and the lemon filling have delicate textures, you’ll want to handle these treats gently. Line your baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some of the paper sticking out on the sides to serve as handles (you can secure the paper in place with binder clips). Let everything cool to room temperature before slicing. These bars are good make-ahead treats; just wait until right before serving to dust them with powdered sugar so it doesn’t melt into the lemony topping and disappear.
Get more of our favorite bar cookie recipes →
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
Makes 24 bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Base:
Lemon Filling:
Preparation
Shortbread Base:
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F.
Step 2
In a food processor, pulse all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare lemon filling.
Lemon Filling:
Step 3
In a large bowl whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until combined well and stir in lemon juice and flour. Pour lemon mixture over hot shortbread. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F and bake confection in middle of oven until set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Sift confectioners' sugar over bars before serving.
Do Ahead: Bar cookies keep, covered and chilled, 3 days.
Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published in the October 1999 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared on Epicurious in August 2004. For more of our favorite classic ‘Gourmet’ dessert recipes, head this way→
Recipe notes
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