Classic Lemon Bars
Bright, buttery, and perfectly balanced between sweet and tangy, these classic lemon bars are the kind of nostalgic dessert that never goes out of style. A rich buttery shortbread crust is layered with a smooth fresh lemon filling and finished with a generous dusting of icing sugar for the perfect bakery-style treat. Simple, timeless, and incredibly delicious chilled straight from the fridge.
Prep time
20 min
Cook time
40–48 min + 2 hrs chilling
Serves
16 bars
Ingredients
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Shortbread Crust
- 1 cupbutter, softened
- ½ cupicing sugar
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour
- ¼ tspsalt
Lemon Filling
- 4 largeeggs
- 2 cupsgranulated sugar
- ¼ cupall-purpose flour
- ⅓ cupfresh lemon juice
- 1 tbspfresh lemon zest
Finishing
- generousicing sugar, for dusting
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cupbutter, softened
- ½ cupicing sugar
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour
- ¼ tspsalt
Lemon Filling
- 4 largeeggs
- 2 cupsgranulated sugar
- ¼ cupall-purpose flour
- ⅓ cupfresh lemon juice
- 1 tbspfresh lemon zest
Finishing
- generousicing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan.
- 2
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and icing sugar until smooth.
- 3
Add the flour and salt and mix until a soft dough forms.
- 4
Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- 5
Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Lemon Filling
- 1
While the crust bakes, prepare the lemon filling.
- 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until smooth.
- 3
Whisk in the flour until fully incorporated.
- 4
Stir in the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest until combined.
- 5
Pour the lemon filling evenly over the warm crust.
- 6
Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 22–26 minutes, or until the center is just set.
- 7
Allow the lemon bars to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- 8
Dust generously with icing sugar before serving.
Melissa's Notes
Fresh lemon juice and zest give these bars the brightest flavour. Chilling before slicing helps create clean bakery-style squares. A parchment-lined pan makes lifting and cutting the bars much easier. For extra lemon flavour, add additional lemon zest over the top before serving. These lemon bars are especially delicious served cold from the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Per bar — based on 16 bars
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
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