Lemon Bars
This tangy and refreshing dessert is the perfect addition to any cookout! A tart, lemon filling paired with a buttery shortbread crust is purely delightful.
With the warmer weather finally arriving, I have been in a spring baking mood! This bright and colorful treat is the perfect add-on to any cookout. It is rich, yet refreshing, but it is the shortbread crust that really does it for me.
Ingredients for the Lemon Bars
This recipe only requires five ingredients, and they are all things you typically have around your kitchen! For someone like me who has not had a ton of baking experience, lemon bars seemed to be an expert level kind of dessert to make, but they are not! Like me, you do not need to be a high skill level baker (which I definitely am not) to make these bright and beautiful desserts. Here are the five simple ingredients to have on hand:
- Butter
- Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Lemon
- Salt
Blind Crust Baking
Oddly enough, I came across the term, “blind bake,” twice in the past two weeks. It was a totally new term for me so, ofcourse, I googled it. Basically, it just means to bake the crust in the oven before adding the filling. It helps the crust to set before adding the filling ingredients. This can apply for any type of crust, from a pie crust to a shortbread crust. I love this method because while the crust is blind baking in the oven, that is a perfect time to start making the filling! It is a time saver and browns up your crust just right!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe!
Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For The Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
For The Lemon Layer
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- powdered sugar, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper on all sides. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium speed beat together the butter, sugar, flour, and salt until the mixture comes together. The mixture will be crumbly. Make sure not to over mix.
- Press the dough in an even layer into the prepared pan. Use a fork to make a few holes in the crust. Blind bake the crust for 20 minutes.
- While the crust bakes, make the lemon layer. Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl to get rid of any clumps. Add the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest and whisk well until completely combined. The mixture will be thin.
- Take the crust out of the oven and pour the lemon layer over the blind baked shortbread crust.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles. Take the bars out of the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Once the bars are completely cool, transfer to the fridge to set for 2 hours (or overnight). Slice the lemon bars and serve cold with a dusting of powdered sugar.