Lemon Bars

recipe update May 2025

A thick layer of tart, sweet lemon custard on a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie crust. This Lemon Bar is as vibrant in flavor as it is in its color! Simple ingredients come together to create a stunning and delicious treat.

Why I love these lemon bars so much

Lemon Bars make me weak in the knees.  What’s not to like?  Sweet, tart, buttery, bright, all the flavors a cold, dreary, stormy Michigan day needs. I am somewhat of a lemon bar snob. The three critical components of a most excellent lemon are: crust, filling, and thickness of the layers. The crust should be thick and needs to melt in your mouth, a buttery, slightly salty shortbread. The filling must be almost double the crust and should be tart but not too tart, sweet but not too sweet, then topped off with an extravagant snowstorm of powdered sugar.  That’s how I like my Lemon Bars, people, take it or leave it! I’m not sure when my love of Lemon Bars began. I don’t recall having them as a kid. But I know I can eat a whole dang pan of these bars!  No lie. Just like brownies.  If I’m making them, I need to be taking them somewhere.  Sharing is a form of self-preservation, or at least an attempt to be able to get my jeans on the next day!

 

Gather these ingredients

How to make thick, custardy, melt in your mouth Lemon Bars

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.

You do not need to grease the pan, if you are careful to have the parchment paper covering the entire pan.

Juice three to four lemons; the juice should measure 2/3 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice—zest one to two whole lemons, measuring one tablespoon of lemon zest. 

I have a confession: I always feel a bit sad for citrus after I’ve zested it.  It just sits there so pathetically.  “Like Oh Ma Gah, she just stripped me zest clean off…I feel so naked and exposed.”  I know it’s weird. If you want to leave now, I would not blame you.  But it’s true.  I’ve been known to apologize to the wee little naked citrus. “I’m so sorry, are you cold? How bout I just squeeze the life (juice) right out of you and put you out of your misery?”.

Add cold butter cut into cubes, sugar, flour, salt to a food processor.

Process on high, pulsing until flour, sugar, and butter come together into an fine crumble.

The crust will be crumbly, but if pinched, it should stick together. Dump the crust into a parchment-lined pan and press firmly into an even layer. 
Place the crust in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes, and start making the filling.

Add four whole eggs and two egg yolks to a mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whisk until light and fluffy, about three minutes. This seems like an eternity, but you can just take a breath right now. Maybe take a seat, or go stare out your window and breathe. 

Add sugar and whisk for another minute or two until sugar has dissolved into the eggs. Should be very foamy and fluffy.

Next, add flour and baking powder and whisk on medium speed until fully incorporated into the filling, drizzle in 2/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the filling while whisking on low speed. Once all of the juice is added, turn up the speed and whip for another minute or two. 

Take this time to put some of your ingredients away, wipe off your counters, drink some water, sing a little tune, or do a little dance. 

Fold lemon zest into filling with a spatula. I do not use the whisk attachment for this because I find that the zest wants to stick to the attachment and does not stay in the filling, which doesn’t do anyone any good!

After ten minutes, remove the partially baked crust from the oven, turn the oven temperature to 350°F, and pour the filling over the hot crust. Return the crust to the oven to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. 

If the filling starts to brown, lightly place a piece of aluminum foil over the pan while baking.  

Perfect! Can you smell it? It’s divine.

While the lemon bars are still hot, sprinkle a generous amount of powdered sugar over them. Continue to tap sugar through a sieve until you can no longer see any lemon filling peeking through. 

Isn’t she lovely? Now, take hold of the parchment paper, lift the lemon bars out of the pan, and carefully pull the paper away from the bars to create a smooth edge. If this doesn’t happen, you can always slice off the edges (and eat them) to create a nice square bar. 

You should be able to get 16 2″ bars from an 8×8 pan. Of course, you can cut them smaller or larger if that is your prerogative. I find a two-inch bar is the absolute perfect size!

Yes, they are this pretty. No, I did not mess with or alter the color when editing this photo. They are vibrant in color and taste. I am confident you have just landed on the last lemon bar recipe you will ever want or need! Go forth, now bake, and share!

As always, thank you for being here. Please take a second and rate this recipe in the recipe card below. PIN it, SHARE it on your socials. XO Sheila