The Best Lemon Bars
These are the best lemon bars ever because they are full of delicious lemon flavor, and are also super easy to make!
These are the best lemon bars ever because they are full of delicious lemon flavor, and are also super easy to make!
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
- for the shortbread crust
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- for the lemon filling
- Carbohydrate 5.31989563566202 g
- Cholesterol 137.621527803413 mg
- Fat 14.5420069616101 g
- Fiber 0.1811764701649 g
- Protein 4.27355192088832 g
- Saturated Fat 8.17445704247882 g
- Serving Size 1 1 bar (72g)
- Sodium 111.246099142203 mg
- Sugar 5.13871916549712 g
- Trans Fat 1.47500042407054 g
- Calories 166 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients: melted butter, flour, powdered sugar, and cornstarch. Press the shortbread mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.
- While the shortbread crust is baking, whisk together the filling ingredients: eggs, sugar, zest, lemon juice, flour, and milk.
- Pour the filling onto the baked shortbread crust and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until the edges are light golden and the filling is almost set.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Then cover with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, slice the bars into squares, and dust with powdered sugar and garnish with lemon slices if desired.
Fresh lemon juice drives this recipe, providing both the primary flavor profile and the acid necessary to denature egg proteins during baking. Eggs supply the stabilizing matrix that transforms liquid citrus and sugar into a sliceable curd, while cornstarch reinforces this structure to prevent weeping. Bottled citrus juice contains added preservatives and heat-induced flavor degradation, yielding a flat, metallic profile compared to freshly squeezed fruit. Zest contains essential oils trapped in the flavedo, which release aromatic compounds that survive thermal processing better than the delicate acids in the juice.
Balancing Sweetness on the Plate
Rich, buttery shortbread requires high-acid accompaniments to clear the palate between bites. Pour strong, unsweetened black coffee or an iced herbal infusion like hibiscus alongside the chilled squares to counteract the dense sugar load. Bitter notes from roasted chicory or dark tea cut directly through the heavy dairy fat of the crust.Cooling and Structural Setting
Thermal inertia dictates that these bars continue cooking after removal from a 350 F oven. Complete room-temperature cooling halts residual heat transfer before refrigeration firms the butter and sets the starch network. Chilling for at least two hours allows the starches to retrograde fully, transforming a sticky liquid center into clean, precise squares.
