Bake-Sale Lemon Bars Recipe

Reviewed on Jun. 16, 2013 by MaggieMinnich

I followed the recipe exactly and these are wonderful! Just enough lemon tartness and sweetness to balance it all out. Only thing I would do different is line my baking dish/pan with parchment paper for ease of getting them out of the pan. Be sure to let them cool in the fridge before cutting and eating. Also, they taste better the next day as the flavors get a chance to mingle. Yummy!

Reviewed on May. 08, 2013 by pharmkayla

Excellent, I did burn the crusts a little cause it looked too light! Don't burn the crust!

Reviewed on Apr. 08, 2013 by motochick179

This is one of my favorite lemon bar recipes! I added lemon zest to both the crust and filling as well as some lemon extract to the filling. They have a nice lemon flavor. The crust does kind of fall apart and the lemon topping is thin. Next time I will try making them in a smaller pan to get more of the lemon filling or double the filling part.

Reviewed on Apr. 02, 2013 by bitzee

These were great! I think the reader's need to READ! she SAID Beatrice was a farmer's wife. They are wonderful cook's,and part of the foundation of this country! And most do not have a lemon tree on the property! Most are miles from a grocery store,so they have to rely on having supplies. Amongst the hundred of things they have to do for the day! This magazine has farmer's wives, house wives and good home cook's! Maybe the critical viewer's should look at the higher end magazines, which they also want all the wierd ingredients that are not on hand! I made these and see why they are a known best seller's. Thanks for sharing :)

Reviewed on Feb. 28, 2013 by puglady16

It took me a while to find the right lemon bar recipe. This is the perfect recipe!!!! So delicious. I add an extra squeeze of lemon juice to give it a little extra tang. So Good!

Reviewed on Feb. 05, 2013 by Chef tell

Fabulous

Reviewed on Feb. 05, 2013 by Chef tell

Best lemon squares

Reviewed on Feb. 02, 2013 by Mel4boy

awesome! fantastic, used fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Reviewed on Feb. 01, 2013 by annaf27

Are these supposed to be really thin? I felt like the filling should have been double or triple the size. But the flavor really is excellent. I added crushed walnuts to the crust and it added a nice flavor. I also cut the recipe in half for a smaller portion. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest (according to the other reviews) and I added a little more lemon juice (from fresh lemons) to make sure the lemon flavor would pop. Because they came out so thin, I'll be serving these with strawberries & vanilla ice-cream. The crust has a great flavor and a great little crunch.

Reviewed on Jan. 30, 2013 by marian08

For grandmagogof8, never ever use the lemon juice in the bottle for baking. It is horrible. It's bitter and very tart. When you bake anything lemon ALWAYS use fresh lemon juice. If you don't have fresh lemons, bake something else. When I need just the lemon zest I always juice my lemons after testing and freeze the juice in an ice cube tray in 1 t. or 1 T. measurements. Same goes if I need just the juice. I zest it first and freeze the zest. Lemons are expensive, don't throw any part of it away. Hope this helps. I have been baking for over 50 years. This recipe is delicious.

Reviewed on Jan. 30, 2013 by dollargirl

These are delicious! Fresh lemon juice is best.

Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2013 by tiggerbell

My family loves the sweet-tangy taste of this recipe. I used home grown Meyer Lemons, and they were awesome. Quick and easy to make, I do give this recipe 5 stars. Yummy......

Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2013 by Kaffaroni

Same as my usual lemon bar recipe except the grated lemon zest is missing. Fresh lemon juice + the zest makes for a tangy, lemon flavour. Not so good made with bottled juice and no zest.

Reviewed on Jan. 29, 2013 by zucchinilady

I added chopped pecans to my bottom layer/ very good/ will be making quite often as I have a Myer lemon tree.

Reviewed on Dec. 27, 2012 by fgilbreth

These are THE best lemon bars ever!!! My family loves the tangy flavor and crunchy crust!

Reviewed on Sep. 08, 2012 by pambosley

These turnd out very good. I added lemon zest to the mixture. Without the zest the lemon flavor wouldn't of been as strong. The crust didn't get crumbly as the directions describe. It was more of a batter and I would of preferred a different crust. Still a good recipe.

Reviewed on Jul. 12, 2012 by becky66

Absolutely delicious...melt-in-your-mouth good! I have made these many times for various events.

Reviewed on Jul. 06, 2012 by grandmagogof8

I made these today to take on a family 4th of July picnic. Like one had said, not a lot of lemon flavor, although the adults and children ate them anyway. I used the lemon juice from the bottle but am wondering if the juice from real lemons wouldn't be stronger or would just add more from the bottle next time, as I would make them again.

Reviewed on Jul. 06, 2012 by grandmagogof8

I made these today to take on a family 4th of July picnic. Like one had said, not a lot of lemon flavor, although the adults and children ate them anyway. I used the lemon juice from the bottle but am wondering if the juice from real lemons wouldn't be stronger or would just add more from the bottle next time, as I would make them again. Otherwise followed the recipe.

Reviewed on Jul. 06, 2012 by grandmagogof8

I made these today to take on a family 4th of July picnic. Like one had said, not a lot of lemon flavor, although the adults and children ate them anyway. I used the lemon juice from the bottle but am wondering if the juice from real lemons wouldn't be stronger or would just add more from the bottle next time, as I would make them again. Otherwise followed the recipe.

Reviewed on Apr. 09, 2012 by RendiB

Great taste.

Reviewed on Mar. 27, 2012 by Raygina

I was disappointed that they didn't have a real lemon flavor. They were good as a sweet but not a lemon bar. I took them to a food swap and they weren't well received. I'll make them again but will try adding some lemon extract to enhance the flavor.

Reviewed on Mar. 18, 2012 by terilee

Yummy! Double recipe and bake in jelly roll pan.

Reviewed on Oct. 01, 2011 by littlecook4u

I made this recipe once and it was so delicious! I did substitute about half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for the crust and also brown sugar instead of confectioners sugar for a healthier version. For the filling, I used some brown sugar as well. They turned out darker, not the beautiful yellow, but still very tasty and everybody loved them!

Reviewed on Sep. 10, 2011 by janalamar

i made this recipe tens of times and they are my picky eater daughter favourate and my comes over whenever she knows that i'm backing them

Reviewed on Aug. 11, 2011 by grandmanonnie

I have made these bars so many times I should probably be embarrassed! They are the ONLY lemon bar your recipe box needs!

Reviewed on Mar. 27, 2011 by krisjeffery1

Hands down the best lemon bar recipe anywhere. If you want a real treat...double the recipe and keep it in the 9x13 pan. Just increase the cooking time a bit. Always many compliments when we take this one to any kind of event.

Reviewed on Jun. 30, 2010 by sharaburn

very good. I made a glaze using powdered suger and lemon juice. everyone asked for more. my husband said really you only made one pan....

Reviewed on Jun. 02, 2010 by craigsuem

To the person who wanted to know what issue this recipe is in, it is in the Taste of Home June/July 96 issue.

Reviewed on May. 17, 2010 by ko08251

I will definitely make these lemon bars again. They were easy to pack and stack for the bake sale, and everyone loved them.

Reviewed on Jan. 26, 2010 by wmt

This is great any day or for bake sales. I also use it in my x-mas candy trays.

Reviewed on Jan. 26, 2010 by wmt

This is great for bake sales. I also use it in my x-mas candy trays.

Reviewed on Aug. 16, 2009 by shellybug7654

I made these bars for my family and they were very good. I will be making these again soon. I had all of the ingredients except the confectioners sugar so this cost me very little.

Reviewed on Aug. 15, 2009 by veckels

these bars are great!!!!!!!!!!could anyone tell me what tast of home issue they were in ...i forget but there were other good items in that book.

Reviewed on Jul. 10, 2009 by JLayer

Does the powdered sugar or the granulated sugar go with the flour and butter to make the crust? I assume the powdered because it is listed first, but I just want to make sure!

Reviewed on Jun. 25, 2009 by Meredith1975

These are so good and easy to make! I substituted crushed 'Nilla Wafers instead of the flour and sugar for the crust. Turned out great!

Reviewed on Nov. 15, 2008 by abonnylass

Of all the lemon bar recipes that I have tried this one is by far the best tasting and easiest to make. They have ALOT of lemon flavor!!

Reviewed on Oct. 19, 2008 by juliegrochowski

These bars are very easy to make and really delicious!!

Reviewed on Jul. 05, 2008 by saw-whet

 Good recipe.

Reviewed on Jun. 23, 2008 by lisar099

I made this and they were so good.  

Reviewed on Jun. 22, 2008 by JennyTaylor

Not only are these bars delicious, they use ingredients most people keep in their kitchen, so it's easy to make them anytime!

Reviewed on Mar. 11, 2008 by msblueribbon

Splenda is a recipe "killer"....  that is why I never use it for my baking,  only in my coffee.

Reviewed on Mar. 10, 2008 by Carol Kyte

This recipe was the bomb. I made it and took it to work and now, I've got numerous people asking me for the recipe. I've made it several times. The comment I got the most was that this recipe does not leave that awful aftertaste that is common with many lemon bar recipes. It's a crowd pleaser for sure and extremely simple to make and especially in a pinch.

My friend who gives me lemons from her lemon tree, and for which I first used this recipe, thought it was great as well.

As far as using Splanda is concerned. Splenda is not good for many recipies, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from making this recipe just as the recipe directs.

Carol K. in CA

Reviewed on Feb. 27, 2008 by nanatex1

I made these and used Splenda in place of the 1 1/2C sugar and they were a disaster! I was so dissapointed in them I threw them out.