Lemon Bars

Name: Lemon Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 9 servings.
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup butter, softened; 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar; FILLING:; 2 large eggs; 1 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; Additional confectioners' sugar

These lemon squares are a delightful recipe from my mother's file. I've been serving it for many years. This lemon bar recipe has a wonderful tangy flavor, and they're always a hit. The color and shape make them a nice addition to a platter of cookies. —Etta Soucy, Mesa, Arizona

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
FILLING:
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Additional confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour, butter and confectioners' sugar. Pat into an ungreased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
For filling, in a small bowl, beat eggs. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon juice and zest; beat until frothy. Pour over the crust. Bake 25 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into bars.

Nutrition Facts

1 bar: 263 calories, 11g fat (7g saturated fat), 74mg cholesterol, 140mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate (25g sugars, 0 fiber), 3g protein.

Originally published as Lemon Bars in Reminisce May/June 1996

Reviews

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Average Rating:

gaylene2

Jan 8, 2019

My daughter-in-law wanted Lemon Bars for her Birthday dessert and since I could not find the recipe I usually used, I discovered this recipe. I squeezed real lemons for the juice. I one-and-a-half-ed the filling as I had done on the previous recipe while doubling the ingredients to fit a 9 x 13 pan. THAT was good for my math brain!! And it was worth the effort. The Birthday Girl wants THIS version EVERY year!
Tracy

Oct 27, 2018

Absolutely love this! We have a few pecan trees so I added 1/4 cup of pecan halves, ground in food processor to the crust and used the juice and zest of two lemons and it worked perfectly. Made three batches in a week...I'm a little obsessed with these lemon bars.
TNbluffbaker

Jul 22, 2018

These Lemon Bars are very good! The lemon zest elevates the bars from ho hum to wow! Next time, I'll grease the pan and add a couple of more tablespoons lemon juice.
TheAviatorCooks

May 28, 2018

This was WAY better than the recipe that pops up first in search engines. That recipe is downright horrible -- a hot mess! This recipe, however, has the symbiotic balance of a buttery shortbread crust (that didn't burn!) combined with the tart sweetness of the filling. I could have eaten all nine squares but I made them for a Memorial Day cookout. Agree with other commenters that the pan should either be greased or lined with parchment paper as we did have a slight "crust malfunction" with some of the squares. Overall, it's a hit!
Iris

Jan 28, 2018

Exact same recipe in my 1976 Betty Crocker cookbook!
Helen

Sep 9, 2017

I loved this recipe!! II is just like my recipe that I have in my recipe box. Bet my recipe is over 50 years old Read a lot of the comments and found it interesting that people were adding nuts to the base. I like how it just melts in your mouth. I will be making this again. I too will be freezing them for portion control!!!
sstetzel

Jun 22, 2017

Hi Anna,All of our temperatures are in Fahrenheit.
Anna

Jun 16, 2017

Is it 350 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius?
amsm

Mar 12, 2017

I love these lemon bars! The filling and crust both have a nice texture. I was reading that some reviewers put lemon extract in their filling for more lemon flavor. I added an extra teaspoon of zest and an extra tablespoon of juice. This gave me enough lemon flavor. I will make these again!
SecretarialSue

Feb 10, 2017

Excellent! I added a small package of cream cheese to the lemon filling and my family loved it!