Tangy Delicious Lemon Bars
 
Prep time
Cook time
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These tangy, delicious lemon bars offer just the right balance of tart/sweet with a lemon-infused shortbread crust
Author:
Serves: 16 bars
Ingredients
  • 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)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 :).
  6. Store the bars in a sealed container in the fridge (the biscuit stays crispy/firm for about 2-3 days).
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2022/02/family-favorite-lemon-bars.html