Growing up, we always had a bounty of meyer lemons spilling off the small, potted lemon trees. The branches of the trees would droop under the weight of dozens of lemons. We’d pile them into the fraying, wicker basket and haul the overflowing basket into the kitchen. Mom would use them for all kinds of things from salad dressings to gift baskets, but each time we picked those lemons, we were always hoping for a lemon scented baked good. Mom made lemon loaves, lemon cakes, or lemon custard, but our favorite of all the meyer lemon baked goods were the lemon bars.
As we bit into mom’s lemon bars, our little teeth would sink through the soft, lemon layer to discover the delicious shortbread beneath. By the end of it, our hands were always tacky from the sweet, lemon filling and the only part of the bar left behind were the dots of powdered sugar that freckled our noses and cheeks. Lemon bars were always a treat, and we still cherish them to this day as it’s a flavor that reminds us of our momma’s kitchen. Over the years, we’ve perfected our lemon bars and have fallen in love with these lemon bars with browned butter shortbread.
When we bite into a lemon bar, we are looking for two juxtaposing layers that marry together for the perfect mouthful. These bars are all that and more. The bottom layer of shortbread has a slightly salted nuttiness from the browned butter. The lemon layer is thick, soft, creamy, and tart. The bright, creaminess of the lemon pairs with the buttery shortbread. As your fork glides through the top lemon layer, it hits the shortbread with some resistance, eventually getting through and leaving you with a bite you’ll remember.
Notes for the perfect lemon bars:
- Thickness: we like our lemon bars on the thicker side with a soft, substantial lemon filling. Part of this is comes down to the bake time, but we also ensure this through a smaller pan size (in this recipe opting for a 11 ¾ x 7” versus a 9 x 13” so we get those bakery style lemon bars and not a thin bar)
- Soft Lemon Filling: we want the lemon layer in these to be creamy and thick, but still firm enough to cut into bars. To ensure this, this recipe does a couple things differently than others. It is low in flour (about half of what some recipes call for) and has an extra egg yolk (for a rich, creamy texture).
- Ratio: we like about 2-3x lemon filling to browned butter shortbread crust for a lemon forward bite with complementing flavors for browned butter shortbread. If you like differently, adjust accordingly (but try it as written first! This ratio is perfect to us).
- Spreading Shortbread: to spread the shortbread evenly, we use a piece of cellophane to create an even layer without losing any of the shortbread dough to our hands
- Beans (or Rice) as baking weights: baking weights create an even layer during the first bake and prevents bubbles or lumps. First, put a piece of parchment paper that covers the whole crust (pro tip: crumple the parchment first and then cover the shortbread, this makes the parchment malleable and easier to use) and then pour in your (uncooked) beans or rice grains. After baking, cool and store in a bag as you can use these over and over again.
- Baking the Shortbread: since we opt for a thicker bar, par baking the shortbread is extra important. We want a layer that is buttery but still slightly crisp, golden, and full of that browned butter flavor. To ensure this, we bake for ~30-40 minutes (note: this is for the smaller pan size suggested, if you use a 9 x 13” lower the par bake time to 25-35 minutes). We first bake with baking weights so the crust remains even and then remove the weights after ~30 minutes to get an even slightly golden color.
- Lemons: if you can find them, we recommend Meyer lemons for this recipe. The juice and zest bring a bright, but slightly sweeter lemon flavor that makes these bars extra delicious. Can’t find Meyers? regular lemons will also make a delicious bar!
- Cutting the bars: we use a clean knife (wiping between cuts) and cut off around ¼” along the entire outside of the bars to make each bar a “middle piece” with no edges. The edges of lemon bars tend to be slightly over cooked and this ensures perfect bars across the board. (Plus then the bakers get to taste test the edges, which is never a bad thing in our book!)
Recipe
Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2 oz/55 g
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 7 1/2 oz/215 g
- 3/4 cup salted butter at room temperature (6 oz/170 g)
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 1/2 oz/70 g
- 2 1/4 cups sugar 1 pound/455 g
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
- lemon zest grated from 1 small lemon
- 6 large whole eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp salt
For topping:
- confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a 11 3/4-by-7-inch glass or ceramic baking pan (if you only have a 9×13, that will work, but the bars will be less thick)
Crust:
- To make the crust, add the powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the flour. Add the butter and vanilla bean paste and beat on low speed until a smooth dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into the pan using a piece of plastic wrap to help smooth the dough evenly. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with baking weights.
- Bake the crust until it is a deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Bake for the first 30 minutes with the pie weights. After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and remove the pie weights and parchment. Place the crust back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes until lightly golden (adjust the total bake time to 30-35 minutes if using a 9×13)
Filling:
- To make the filling, while the crust is baking, sift the flour into a mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar until blended. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve the sugar. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt. (The salt helps to break up the eggs). Then add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.
Combining:
- Once the crust is ready, pour the filling directly into the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. and bake just until the center of the custard is set, about 35 – 40 minutes. (adjust the bake time to 30-40 minutes if using a 9 x 13)
- Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares and dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. They will keep in an airtight container or well covered in the baking dish for 3-4 days.
Notes
Entertainer’s Note:
Cut squares into smaller triangles or 2-3 rectangles for bite sized desserts at a party.
