Easy lemon bars. Bold tangy flavor contrasting sweetness that lemon lovers will love – that’s what these little lemon treats are all about. They are also buttery and vibrant with a beautiful yellow hue. Layers of sweet shortbread crust and tangy lemon make this irresistibly divine!
Do you love the irresistible combination of sweet and tangy flavours? How about the subtle tangy flavor of lemons in sweet treats? Isn’t it heavenly? As you know, lemons are so versatile, they can be easily incorporated into both sweet and savory dishes.
These easy lemon bars recipe is surprisingly straightforward to make and is loaded with the goodness of fresh sweet and tangy lemons. In addition to being tangy, the recipe features two distinct layers of shortbread and fresh lemons making these bars sweet, soft and utterly delicious.
How To Make Easy Lemon Bars
The shortbread crust forms the base layer of this sweet treat. It’s made with just 3 ingredients – flour, sugar and butter. And a touch of salt to enhance the flavors. The butter used in the crust can be either softened or melted. I usually go with melted version as it is easier to incorporate it into the flour and sugar. If you are using softened butter, use your fingers to rub it into the flour-sugar mixture.
The prepared mixture goes into a lined slice pan and straight into the oven. The shortbread crust is ready when you see lightly browned edges. The crust will be very soft at this stage, but it will harden as it cools down. While the shortbread crust of these easy lemon bars is cooling down, you can prepare the next layer.
The upper layer contains all the beautiful flavors of freshly squeezed lemons including lemon zest and lemon juice. To make this filling, whisk together flour, sugar and lemon. When combined, add eggs and whisk until combined.
Stir in lemon juice and pour onto the baked shortbread crust. This goes into the oven again. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Remove it from oven when the filling is set with a slightly jiggly center. The lemon layer is thick and beautiful, just the way I want it to be.
The last step in making these easy lemon bars – cool it down to room temperature for about an hour and then pop in the refrigerator for another 2 hours. That way, you will get perfectly textured layers of lemon bars.
Slice them into little bars and top with powdered (confectioner’s) sugar if you like. Ready to bite it into these delicious little treats? YUM!
More Sweet Lemon Recipes:
Yield: 16 x 26 cm slice
Easy Lemon Bars | Video
Layers of sweet shortbread crust and tangy lemons make this dessert irresistible!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose (plain) flour
- 1/2 cup granulated (caster) sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted
- A pinch of salt
Lemon Layer:
- 1 and 1/4 cups granulated (caster) sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose (plain) flour
- Zest of 1 whole lemon
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Decorate:
- Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar or powdered sugar), for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease and line a 16cm x 26cm slice pan with baking paper overhanging at the edges. Set aside.
- To make the shortbread crust, place flour, sugar, butter and salt in a large bowl. Using a spatula, combine all the ingredients. Transfer this mixture into the slice pan. Press onto the base of the slice pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Remove from oven. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the lemon layer. Whisk together sugar, flour and lemon zest in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs. Whisk until combined. Add lemon juice. Whisk again until combined.
- Pour this mixture onto slightly cooled baked crust. Tap lightly to remove bubbles. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set and slightly jiggly in the center.
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool for about 1 hour. Refrigerate for another 2 hours.
- Dust with confectioner’s (icing) sugar, slice and serve
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice in this recipe for maximum flavor
- You can either use melted or room temperature butter in this recipe. If using softened room temperature butter, rub it into the flour-sugar mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. I have used this technique in the video
- You may notice small bubbles or foamy layer on the lemon bars after baking. This is completely normal.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 190Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 120mgSodium 54mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 0gSugar 15gProtein 3g
The nutritional data is for information purposes only
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