Lemon Truffle Shortbread Bars
These lemon truffle shortbread bars are like diving head first into a pan of creamy, cheesecake-ish, lemon bar heaven. Absolute perfection for lemon lovers!
Where my lemon lovers at??
Today’s amazingly delicious and decadent lemon truffle shortbread bars recipe is for YOU.
And me. Of course.
I’m a lemon lover extraordinaire. And even my dark chocolate loving soul doesn’t feel insecure about it.
Lemon desserts are my jam. Or rather, really, really good lemon desserts are my jam.
You know, like Magnolia lemon pie, this incredible lemon blueberry cake, and no-bake lemon blueberry cheesecake.
However, if I’m being perfectly honest, I wasn’t entirely sure I would share this lemony lemon dessert.
It’s multi-layered. {As you can see.}
And all those layers are made from scratch. Which, you know, is also my jam.
I love taking sometimes-processed recipes and turning them into homemade wonders.
But doing so requires a slightly higher investment of time. Love. A tad bit more energy (don’t worry, you can watch Netflix whilst stirring the lemon layer).
So I’m under no illusion this type of homemade dessert will float everyone’s boat.
But it floats mine. And in the off chance it could float someone else’s, I decided to just post the dang recipe already. (Spoiler alert: I included a storebought hack in the notes.)
These lemon truffle shortbread bars are luxurious. Luxurious and crazy, crazy delicious.
The buttery shortbread base carries the weight of the lemon-loving world on its shoulders. The lemon flavor is bold, bright, fresh, and perfect – and it is evident in every layer of creamy goodness.
The premise is simple: you whip up a homemade lemon curd (which, if you aren’t familiar, is a fantastically delicious, thick lemon glaze that is made similarly to a homemade pudding).
That lemon curd/glaze becomes that vibrant middle layer AND serves as an integral component for the other two layers as well (along with white chocolate and cream cheese – hence the truffle effect!).
If you are looking for a lemon dessert to end all lemon desserts, these lemon truffle shortbread bars are a serious contender.
They are sure to please everyone from shortbread fans to cheesecake lovers to lemon supporters, and they really are as delicious as they look. Really.
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Lemon Truffle Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter
Lemon/Cream Layers:
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ + 1/3 cup granulated sugar, you’ll use 1/2 cup first and 1/3 cup later
- 2 cups water
- ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) salted butter
- 6 ounces (170 g) white chocolate, chopped (see note)
- 16 ounces (454 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
- For the shortbread crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a bowl or in a food processor. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender (or process in the food processor) until the butter is in tiny pieces and the mixture is coarsely crumbled.
- Press the mixture evenly in the bottom of a 9X13-inch baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- For the lemon curd, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, water, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/3 cup granulated sugar until well-combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add to the saucepan with the other ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once bubbles pop at the surface and the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Remove about 2 cups of the mixture to a separate bowl, cover, and set aside to cool completely.
- To the remaining lemon curd, add the white chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool to room temperature. Add the cream cheese and whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Remove 1 cup of the creamy mixture to another bowl, and spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the shortbread crust.
- Combine the reserved 1 cup mixture and the whipping cream. Beat until thickened and soft peaks form that mostly hold their shape, 2-3 minutes.
- Spread the reserved 2 cups cooled lemon curd (with nothing added to it) on top of the cream cheese layer. It helps to dollop in large spoonfuls across the bars before spreading.
- Spread the whipped cream mixture on top of the lemon curd (again, dollop spoonfuls of it across the bars before spreading).
- Refrigerate the bars for at least an hour before cutting and serving (can be refrigerated 8-12 hours before serving).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
My mom and my sisters just made this for me for my birthday and YUM! It might just be my requested birthday dessert every year from here on out. 10/10 recommend!
These were absolutely DELICIOUS! I cut down on prep time by making my lemon curd in the microwave. It’s fool proof and so quick to make. My family loved them!
This was one of the first real recipes I ever made. I accidentally left the crust to bake a bit longer so it became crunchier, but the end outcome was still amazing. My friends all say it’s the best thing I’ve baked. It’s a great and delicate combination of tangy, sweet and creamy.
That’s amazing! So glad these bars were a hit!
A delightful dessert! My daughter called it a refreshing summer treat. The lemon curd is divine and the shortbread crust was super easy to make. I didn’t have a pastry blender so I used a fork and then eventually my hands. Turned out great! Will be going into the rotation.
Hi. This sounds delightful. Should the butter be chilled to make the shortbread? Thanks!
Yes.
In the lemon curd ingredient list, you show 2 Tablespoons (57g) of butter. 57 g would be 4 Tablespoons. I’m guessing the correct amount is 2 Tablespoons. I used 4 and the the layers kind of collapsed after cutting into them.
You are right Courtney! It should be 28 g, not 57 g. I apologize. I will fix that right now.
Made this recipe and absolutely loved it! It was a family favourite for our Easter dinner!
I ended up using white chocolate chips and they melted perfectly!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Cannot wait to make it again
I was going to try making this recipe with your Instant Pot Lemon Curd, but I’m stuck on “add the white chocolate and stir until melted” part. Should I reheat the lemon curd after it comes out of the Instant Pot? What do you think?
Good question, Stefanie. Yes, just reheat the lemon curd until warm and then stir in the white chocolate.
I took the plunge and made this delectable dessert for Father’s Day. I halved the recipe and made an 8×8 pan since we have a small family. Interestingly enough, we all felt the flavor was lacking when I served it Sunday evening after having chilled it for several hours. However, when we finished it off the next night, we thought it was fabulous! It needed more time to let the lemon really shine. The crust didn’t get overly soggy between the first and second serving and we enjoyed it a lot more the next night. When I make this again I will make it a day ahead of time just as I would with a cheesecake.
Thanks for the feedback, Holly!
How long will this last in the fridge? It is delicious but we couldn’t finish it all tonight!
Probably a couple of days…
This was definitely a lot of steps, but so worth it! It was delicious!! I’m terrified to think of all the recipes you love and never post. If you are ever dithering about a recipe, email it to me at least, will you?? 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Haha, I waffle on so many recipes – should I post?? Should I not?? But rest assured, 99% of the time, I post the ones that should be posted. 🙂
I made this for a party, it was DELICIOUS!! One of my top favorite desserts ever. People that don’t like lemon stuff like this. I also made the crust gluten free and it still held a high standard. Thanks
That’s awesome, Rebecca!
Quick question. I made this over last weekend for a party for my wife’s friends. They all loved it. The only “issue” I had was that I found that it didn’t look great, the top whipped layer slid off the lemon curd. It’s a relatively minor issue, but I’ve had issues like this with things like lemon meringue pie. I had made these bars the day before the party and left them in the fridge for overnight. Are there any tricks to getting more stable, cohesive layers?
Regardless, I will be making this again, my wife and daughter loved it.
I don’t know if this will help 100%, but I wonder if it has something to do with the lemon curd being chilled vs room temperature. What was the consistency/temp of your lemon curd when the top layer of cream was spread on?
Hi Mel; OK so I resisted making this luscious looking dessert for almost an entire week. I realized I had a meeting at church so decided to make it under the guise of taking it to the meeting…which I DID…only the pan was missing a couple pieces! LOL
Just as I suspected, this dessert is absolutely fantastic! I love that it’s a completely ” from scratch” recipe. It’s made with REAL food and reminds me of the desserts my mom made in the 60’s for her church meetings. Everyone raved about the fresh flavor and creamy consistency. It is not overly sweet so the lemony flavor shines through. The only thing I’d change is the name; I don’t consider this a bar…I’d call it a torte. Kinda a tomateo/tomato thing. Anyway; thank you Mel for posting a delicious from scratch recipe made with real food. It’s fabulous recipe and one I’ll be making for years to come. My mom used to make a “pineapple cheese torte” recipe that a dug out for Easter and it’s similar in style and very very delicious. If you’d like to try that recipe I’ll gladly share. Take care and God bless you!
Thanks for the report back on this recipe, Eileen! I’m so happy you loved the result of all those layers! And the pineapple torte sounds delicious – if you have time to email me the recipe (contact @ melskitchencafe . com) I would love that!
Is it possible to get a copy of the recipe for the pineapple cheese torte?
I halved this recipe (made easy by weight measurements – thank you!) and baked them in an 8×8 yesterday. I’m a lemon dessert fanatic, and although these aren’t as tart as I usually go for, they’re still absolutely swoon-worthy. I may or may not have had one for breakfast.
Or three. Ahem.
I was going to make straight lemon bars for an upcoming bridal shower, but I might have to make these instead. I thought about cutting them into small-ish squares and placing them in white paper muffin liners on a platter. Think that’s fancy enough? I do tasty, not pretty, haha.
Haha, I do tasty, too. 🙂 And I think cutting them in small squares and placing in a muffin liner is actually quite brilliant.
This looks delish, I’m going to make them this weekend. And I LOVE that you used the word, ‘whilst’ – I try to use it whenever possible!
Haha! 🙂 It’s a great word.
I made this last night and it was yummy but i was disappointed. For the amount of work I expected to be wowed. I wanted to make this for my father in law for father’s day but don’t feel it’s special enough.
in all fairness I really liked the lemon layer and the shortbread crust despite the fact that it looses its crunch.
To avoid a softer crust the dessert should be made inthe late morning to enjoy later that day.
The cream layers overwhelmed the dessert. I may have been expecting something a little more substantial to savor. I may try to tweak this recipe reducing the cream cheese and whipping cream…
Sorry this wasn’t a slam dunk dessert for you, Mandy!
Loved this!! It came together easily and turned out perfectly! Looked exactly like pictured! And oh so delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Thank you! So happy you loved them! 🙂
Quick question – if using storebought lemon curd (which is not hot) what’s the best way to get the white chocolate to melt in it? Microwave the curd? Just don’t want to have any seizing issues or overcooked lemon curd.
Ah, good question. I would probably melt the white chocolate in the microwave and then just very lightly heat the curd (maybe one minute on 50% power) and mix the two together.
I will absolutely be making these for my lemon loving dad for father’s day! Thanks for posting the recipe!
Oh my goodness, this makes my mouth water! I don’t always have time for multiple steps but this recipe’s going to take priority the next time I need a pan of lemon goodness. Thanks, Mel!
These took longer and used more dishes than my Mel go-to dessert (one-bowl brownies) :). But, they are YUMMY and worth the extra effort for the lemon-lovers in your life. My son’s preschool teacher loves lemon so we thought this would be a fun, fancier change from the classic lemon bars we have made for her in the past, and we were right.
Glad you loved them, Emily – I agree, they are definitely more special occasion…but so perfect for lemon lovers!
Word to the wise: this is no one bowl wonder! I am at the “waiting for things to cool“ stage of this recipe, and I want to point out that there are a lot of moving parts, enough to nearly require a diagram to remember where to put everything at different points in the recipe. I’m a lemon lover too, though (and butter and sugar lover and that of cream cheese, and whipped cream), so I’m confident this is going to turn into an amazing end product, but just know going in that it’s not the usual whip it up and throw it in the oven bar recipe we know and love from Mel.
I hear you! Hence my disclaimer in the post! 🙂 The funny thing is that I was almost tempted to actually put together a flow chart diagram for this recipe…maybe I should have! I hope the effort will be worth it – make sure to let me know what you think of the finished bars (savor every bite!). 🙂
You say it can be refrigerated 8-12 hours before serving. I take it that means I can’t make it 48 hrs in advance and store in the fridge?
No, I meant that it can be refrigerated for about 8-12 hours after making and assembling the bars – any longer and the crust get too soft (for my liking anyway).
Can I use gluten free flour? I like King Arthur’s cup for cup flour. Or do I need to do something different to use it? Thank you!!
I haven’t tried a gluten free sub, so I don’t know for sure. Sorry!
Thank you for posting recipes that require from scratch cooking!!!! That is why you have such a large number of people following your food blog!! Love your style of cooking!!
Thanks, Lavonne! 🙂
Wow those look fantastic, and I am definitely up for making each yummy layer. I have a terrific lemon curd recipe that I just love, but I am going to try yours exactly as written. Perfect and just in time for summer!!!
The recipe would work great with your fave lemon curd, too, Teresa! You’ll have to let me know how different it is from this one. You know me, always up for a kitchen nerdiness to compare lemon curd recipes. 🙂
If interested, I have a lemon curd recipe that is super easy and delicious. All of the ingredients are blended in a blender then cooked until thick. It hasn’t ever failed me; other lemon curd recipes have. I no longer attempt any other recipes for curd.
Sounds amazing, Rebecca! I’d love the recipe if you want to share. 🙂
I freaking love anything lemon. I can’t wait to try this recipe! I will never buy lemon bars (think Costco) again. One time I bought the ones from Costco for a potluck. Well… one of the ladies made and brought an Arizona Sunshine pie (or something like that) and HOLY PUCKERED LIPS BATMAN! It uses the WHOLE lemon (sans the seeds) but the WHOLE thing blended up. I thought that was crazy. Then she fortuitously gave everyone prepared copies of the recipe. My sad little lemon bars from Costco went ignored and are really tasteless once you’ve had something lemon from scratch. So while I know this recipe is not that- I also like the idea of a creamier filling on a shortbread crust. hello! I’ve honestly never made lemon curd- it sounds so intimidating and might come from a pudding attempt as a 14 year old who didn’t have the patience to temper the eggs. (hello curdles) lol I’m a lot more patient now… well- my impatience is mainly centered around waiting for something to cool to EAT IT! 😀
Whoa, that pie sounds intense!
Thank you for being a recipe converter! Few things frustrate me more than when I’m looking for a real recipe – a from scratch recipe, in other words – and end up with a “buy a cake mix at the store and mix according to package directions” “recipe”.
Both my dad and I love lemon desserts, and this looks very similar to the lemon bars we like to buy at a small bakery (name: Two Tarts) in downtown New Braunfels, TX. I think these will be his birthday dessert this year. Love it!!
I love New Braunfels! I used to go there all the time as a kid (we lived in several places throughout TX) – oh the memories! Except I don’t think that bakery was there or at least I don’t remember. I hope you love these if you try them!
Ohhhhhhh these look super yum!! Currently have a newborn, but I must find the time to make these! If you have some extra on hand though, you could just mail them. Let me know if you need my address, Jk, kinda ; )
Haha, I wish I could ship you some!
For those of us thinking of the storebought lemon curd shortcut that Mel mentioned, I can say the one that Trader Joe’s sells is delicious. I may have even eaten it straight from the jar with a spoon a time or two. Thanks for this great looking recipe Mel. I’m going to make it!
I agree – Trader Joe’s lemon curd is amazing!
I’m so glad you posted these Mel! Don’t ever think about not posting something delicious and amazing again! I can’t not wait to make these, they look so amazing!!! Now it’s all I’m going to think about the rest of the day!
Haha, ok, I’ll try not to be such a worry wart about that kind of stuff! 🙂
This sounds delicious! My dad and I might be the only two people in our family who like lemon desserts – I might have to make it for him 🙂
I hope you like them if you try them, Sam (lucky dad of yours, too!).
Can you tell me if this is the sort of bar that can be stacked once they are cut? Or might the top layer be too soft. I need to make them to be served to a lot of people (double recipe for about 35 people ?) and to serve efficiently they need to arranged at least two layer deep on platters. Doesn’t work well if they are too soft.
Your thoughts?
I’ve made something similar to this with a different flavor profile and they definitely are not stackable.
Hey Beth, these definitely are not stackable unless you want that soft creamy layer on top to get all messed up. Not sure these would be the best bars for what you are describing, unfortunately. If you can serve them single layer, I’d say go for it. Also, they could be picked up and eaten out of hand, but they are less messy served on a plate with a fork.
Thanks. I’ll keep browsing for just the right thing. Everything on your page always cooks up great for me so i’m sure i will find something!
Oh how I wish you could ship me a bar! They look sooo good. I LOVE lemon desserts. I will be making this one the next time I am in need of a nice dessert to bring some where!! (because if I don’t have anyone to share it with, that will be a problem…)
Yeah, I here you. A whole pan of these staring me in the face would be DANGEROUS!
You were not going to post it because it is all homemade? Please never utter that statement again, that is what makes you my jam! Can’t wait, Sunday dessert fo sho!
I know, I’m sorry! I just get all insecure sometimes. 🙂
I am fortunate to have a lemon tree in my backyard and it is prolific. Sadly, some are wasted since I can’t think of enough things to use them for. I definitely am going to make these shortbread bars. Do you have a good recipe for a jam, jelly or marmalade using lemons? I really enjoy your blog.
How fun to have a lemon tree in your backyard, Judy! Unfortunately, I don’t have a lemon marmalade or jelly recipe. I think my favorite lemon recipes are desserts. Yikes, that’s kind of a problem! 🙂
We had a lemon tree. Something I did was juice the lemons and freeze it in 1 cup and smaller table spoon. I’d also zest a bunch and freeze it. We often made frozen lemonade by adding a little milk and sugar. Sometimes splurge and add whipping cream;) but I never bought lemon juice. Just used what I had put in freezer.
Such a great idea, Brenda!
I make lemon marmalade, cranberry-lemon marmalade, meyer-lemon marmalade. I don’t have time at the moment to post a recipe but google meyer-lemon marmalade and hopefully you will get to a “lemonladies” recipe.