Lemon Bars Recipe – these layered bars pack a buttery crust, mixed with lemon and some sugar. They are by far the best lemon bars I’ve ever made!
How to make lemon bars
There are about a million lemon bar recipes out there. This one comes from an old email folder that I’ve had for over 20 years now. A lot of lemon bar recipes have too much lemon, too much crust, or not enough of either. The proportions are off. But I’m happy to report that old, standby recipes still continue to dominate. To make the very best lemon bars, consider these things:
- Line the pan with parchment paper.
This is a tip that goes with a lot of bar recipes. It makes them so much easier to get out of the pan! - Real lemons are a must.
I was lucky enough to pull lemons straight off of my Mom’s lemon tree. Typically I use lemon juice from a bottle because it’s convenient (instead of squeezing lemons) but there is definitely a difference. - Stick these bars in the fridge overnight.
Because I made these late at night and needed to take pictures for this blog post, this was a happy accident. But it gave these bars time to really chill and suck in all of the flavors and layers. You don’t absolutely have to do it, but I will make preparations to do this in the future. It also is nice that you can make them ahead of time if you’re making them for a party or for dessert later.
Best Lemon Bars
To be honest, in the past I have made a lot of lemon bars from a box mix. They are easy, they still taste good but they don’t taste GREAT. After making this recipe, I’ll never go back. Yes, they take longer. Yes they are more effort. But they are 1000% worth that extra effort. You will be able to see the difference.
What makes these bars different? The layers. The not overpowering lemon. And the perfect amount of sugar. They pretty much melt in your mouth.
Tip:
When cutting lemon bars, don’t drag your knife because they will get goopy and messy. My favorite knife for cutting brownies, bars, etc is this one.
Other Lemon Recipes
If you love lemon, you’ve got to try these recipes too!
Lemon Bars Recipe
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Lemon Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 c flour
- 1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1 c butter
- 1 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 6 TBSP sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 c sugar
- 1/3 c lemon juice
- 1/4 c flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Sift together flour and confectioners sugar.
- Cut in butter until mixture clings together. (I use my hands to mix in the butter to the mix - it gets messy but is the best way to get it in there!)
- Lay down a piece of parchment paper in a 9x13" pan. Press crust mix into 9x13" pan.
- Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes, or lightly browned and then cool.
- In a bowl, mix cream cheese until smooth.
- Add 1 egg and vanilla and beat well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs until frothy.
- Add granulated sugar and lemon juice.
- Sift together 1/4 cup flour and baking powder and stir in to egg mixture.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.
- Cover with egg mixture. (Pour this slowly, do not dump it onto the layer, it will not layer well)
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until done. (might need longer depending on thickness of bars)
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares.
Nutrition
Pin this image to keep for later:
Jo-Ann says
March 11, 2019 at 9:29 amAfter step 2 in the instructions, I assume the next step is to press the mixture into the bottom of a pan – 9×13 maybe. Then do the baking.
Mique says
March 11, 2019 at 10:03 amSorry about that Jo-Ann! I updated the recipe – yes, lay down a piece of parchment paper (so that you can take out the bars easily), then press the mix into a 9×13 pan.