USA · Dessert · Easy
Lemon Bars
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Lemon Bars, in 5 ideas
- Fresh lemons only. Bottled juice tastes flat and metallic. Three lemons, juiced and zested, is the whole point.
- Do not overbake the top. A slight jiggle in the center is perfect. It sets as it cools. Browned tops mean rubbery custard.
- Chill before cutting. Warm bars smear and collapse. Two hours in the fridge gives you sharp clean squares.
- Wipe the knife between cuts. A clean damp knife, wiped after each slice, keeps the powdered sugar tops pristine.
- Dust right before serving. Powdered sugar melts into the surface within hours. Dust at the last minute for the snow effect.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment, leaving overhang for lifting.
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in the 2 cups flour and salt until crumbly. Press firmly and evenly into the pan.
- Bake the crust 18 to 20 minutes until lightly golden at the edges.
- While it bakes, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice, zest, and 1/4 cup flour until completely smooth.
- Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust. Return to the oven 20 to 22 minutes until the center is just set with a slight jiggle.
- Cool completely in the pan, then chill at least 2 hours. Cold bars cut cleanly.
- Lift out with the parchment, dust generously with powdered sugar, and cut into bars.
Pour onto a hot crust. The lemon layer hits the par-baked base straight from the oven. This keeps the shortbread crisp instead of soggy.