These sweet homemade lemon bars are perfect for spring. Full of tart lemon flavor and made with a sweet shortbread crust. Always a crowd pleaser and delicious for snacking.
LEMON BARS!
This right here is one of my favorite desserts ever – homemade lemon bars. So. Much. Goodness. They are sweet and sour and pretty freaking easy to throw together.
Trust me, even if you think they look hard they aren’t. You make a simple crust right in your mixer, bake it, top it with a lemon mixture, bake some more, cool, dust with powdered sugar, and overeat until you hate yourself.
Ok, maybe stop before you hate yourself. Everything in moderation.
Even though I rarely listen to that advice.
I actually made this recipe back in 2009 but I knew it was time to update the photos and the post.
Some of my old posts have some great recipes but the photos and writing are less than stellar. I have been trying to redo posts when I can’t get creative enough to develop a new recipe.
Since it’s finally starting to feel like spring I figured it was time I reshare these homemade lemon bars.
It’s a classic dessert that totally fills that sweet and sour craving.
Plus it’s just beautiful.
This time of the year I get so excited when I see daffodils blooming and the pop of forsythia bushes. When I see that burst of yellow I know it’s time to get excited about spring.
And seeing all this yellow obviously makes me think of lemons.
Hence, why I was craving a lemon dessert.
If you have never made a shortbread crust before don’t panic if it looks like it’s not going to work.
The mixture starts out very crumbly but will eventually come together and have a texture that makes it easy to press into the bottom of the pan.
If you’re looking to add a little more flavor a few splashes of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste would be great in the crust.
You know how much I love vanilla.
I used regular lemons for the bars but if you want a slighter sweeter homemade lemon bar you could use some Meyer lemons.
Craving even more lemon? What about lemon for breakfast? Try these almond flour lemon poppy seed muffins!
Love these homemade lemon bars?
Try my Lemon Vanilla Pound Cake, No Bake Raspberry Lemon Mini Cheesecakes, Whole Meyer Lemon Tart, or my Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Olive Oil Cake
Homemade Lemon Bars
These sweet homemade lemon bars are perfect for spring. Full of tart lemon flavor and made with a sweet shortbread crust. Always a crowd pleaser and delicious for snacking.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer add butter and powdered sugar. Beat together until the mixture is pale in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup all purpose flour and kosher salt and mix just until the dough comes together. This may take a few minutes. The mixture will look crumbly at first but will come together. It's ready when the dough can easily be pressed together.
- Firmly press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Make sure to keep the dough the same thickness throughout the pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool while you make the filling.
- In an electric mixer bowl add sugar and eggs and beat till smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine.
- Fold in the flour.
- Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 43mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 1g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies - Nutmeg Nanny
Friday 13th of May 2022
[…] Craving a classic dessert? Try my Homemade Lemon Bars. […]
Robin Egg Cupcakes - Nutmeg Nanny
Tuesday 19th of April 2022
[…] Love all things lemon? Try my Homemade Lemon Bars. […]
Rainbow Fruit Popsicles - the perfect summertime frozen treat!
Thursday 1st of July 2021
[…] Homemade Lemon Bars […]
Winter Citrus Pavlova - a beautiful and delicious way to enjoy winter citrus!
Tuesday 16th of March 2021
[…] Homemade Lemon Bars […]
Nellie Tracy
Monday 24th of June 2019
I love lemon bars and this is one of my absolute favorite recipes! So tasty!