The Best Lemon Bars
These really are the best lemon bars on the planet with the perfect ratio of crust to delicious, creamy, ultra-lemony filling and a healthy sprinkle of powdered sugar. YUM!
For as much as I’m a chocolate lover through and through, there are just certain times when lemon bars, and only lemon bars, will do.
It took me a while to get lemon bars perfected just the way I like them (meaning, a substantial crust to filling ratio to cut the sometimes overbearing sweet tanginess of the lemon filling).
And while the lemon filling is perfectly and very robustly lemon, it doesn’t overpower in a way that makes you think “wow, I’m not going to be able to eat anything lemon for a week!” after tasting one.
Brian sums up lemon bars like this: “it’s rare that I actually crave lemon bars, but when they are sitting there right in front of me, I can’t stop eating them!”
Yep, lemon bars are like that. Totally irresistible.
Also, lemon bars are so, so easy to make.
The shortbread-like, buttery crust of the bars is quickly mixed together, pressed into a pan, and pre-baked for a few minutes. While the crust bakes, the quick and easy lemon curd filling is whisked together and poured right on top of the hot crust and baked again.
Don’t forget the sprinkle of powdered sugar! Not only does it help pretty up the bars a little bit, but the light sweetness helps cut the delicious, but strong, tanginess of fresh lemon.
Fresh lemon juice vs bottled lemon juice
In the case of people vs lemon bars, it has been proven time and time again that using fresh lemon juice is the only way to go. The flavor of bottled lemon juice will make the bars taste artificial and flat. It will take about 3-4 lemons for this recipe (you’ll want to zest them before you juice them, because you’re using both the zest and juice!).
How this recipe has changed over the years
As with any recipe that I make dozens and dozens of times, I find that over the years I’ll make a few changes just simply based on my own preferences. In this case, it’s all about How Mel Enjoys Her Lemon Bars in Different Phases of Life.
This recipe has been on my site for over five years and in that time, I’ve found that sometimes I’ll increase the butter from 1 1/2 sticks to 2 sticks (1 cup) so the crust is more buttery and less crumbly (I left the original recipe written below for people that love that version – I still love it, too!).
Also, if I’m lazy (ahem, often), instead of cutting in the butter with a food processor or two knives, I soften or slightly melt the butter and mix all the crust ingredients together with an electric mixer and then press into the pan.
If you’ve been on the search for the best lemon bars, I think you’re going to love this recipe!
One Year Ago: Make-Ahead Sausage and Egg Breakfast Bake
Two Years Ago: Blueberry Fool
Three Years Ago: Perfect Corn on the Cob
Perfect Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust (see note for adaptations):
- 1 ¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (76 g) powdered sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on bars
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (170 g) butter, 1 1/2 sticks, at cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Filling (see note for thicker filling):
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups (283 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, from 2 large lemons
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 3 to 4 large lemons
- ⅓ cup milk
- Pinch of salt, about 1/8 teaspoon
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper and lightly grease the foil/parchment (optional: it helps with removing the bars after baking, but you can instead grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray).
- Whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt (this can be done in a food processor or in a large bowl by hand). Add the pieces of butter and cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers (taking care not to melt the butter too much – you might try freezing the butter and grating it into the dry ingredients on the large holes of a box grater) or process in the food processor for 8 to 10 seconds and then as needed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer on the bottom. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Bake until very lightly golden brown on the edges, about 15-20 minutes.
- For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl and then stir in the lemon zest, juice and milk to combine.
- Pour the filling onto the warm crust; reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for about 18-20 minutes until the filling feels slightly firm to the touch. Cool the bars to room temperature, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar and cut into bars.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated (used salted butter instead of unsalted, lowfat milk instead of whole milk, and a few other very minor changes) in combination with my mom’s 40-year old recipe
Recipe originally published July 2013; updated with new photos, commentary, and recipe notes.
283 Comments on “The Best Lemon Bars”
The very BEST!!
Here’s my comment. Why didn’t you include your wonderful Lemon Blueberry Cake. That was the very first of your recipes I tried and I’ve been hooked by all of them since. Have told many of my friends about you.
Love it.
So delicious! We used Meyer lemons and did not change a thing. I used the instructions for the thicker crust but forgot to make the thicker filling but I still thought the proportions were fine. They kept for several days in the fridge. Thank you!!
For real, the best! Delicious and super easy to make!
I love this recipe. it turned out really well. I am lucky that I caught the mistake of the cornstarch goes in the filling – not the crust. lol
The cornstarch goes in the crust is what the recipe says to do is this right? I would like to try this but I do not want to do it wrong. thank you Melva
Yes, the cornstarch goes in the crust.
Umm…it goes in the crust, but it sounds like it worked out for you anyway ♀️
For some reason the top of mine came out spongy. Any chance you know why?
Any chance they were over baked a little bit?
I LOVE these lemon bars! They always work really well- and taste even better the next day. This last time, I did a little experiment and tried something different. I didn’t have any lemons, so I used grapefruit instead. And it was actually pretty good. It was definitely a different take on lemon bars, but if was pretty good!
Kathy, did you ever make them with Meyer lemons???
These lemon bars are what I’m living for. I made this for the first time for some guests the other night- one of whom does not like desserts. Can I tell you that all of us were pining after these??? Holy heck. The crust to custard ratio could not be better. That perfect lemon flavour with just the right amount of pucker balanced with a firm crust… I wish I could rate this ten stars.
Can I leave the crust in the fridge for longer than 30 minutes? Like a few hours??
Yes
Hi Mel. Have you ever made these bars using Meyer lemons?
I haven’t, sorry!
Kathy, did you ever make them with Meyer lemons???
great
Hi Mel! Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
I’m confused about your note concerning butter. It says, “…I’ve found I like the crust with a bit more butter (makes it less crumbly), so I use a full cup (increased from 1 1/2 cups).”
I’m hoping to make these for a special meal and want to be sure I’ve got it right! What is the correct amount of butter in the crust?
Sorry for the confusion, Julie – it should say 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup). I use a cup of butter in the crust (found I liked it better like that over time)
I so want to try these as lemon bars are my daughter’s favorite! But where is the note for thicker filling?
Sorry about that, just edited the recipe!
Very tasty lemon bars. I’ve received many compliments on them and always use real lemons as I agree they taste so much better than bottled. My only problem is the filling is always gooey and would never hold it’s shape like the ones in your pictures. I’ve even baked them slightly longer than recommended with the same results. Any suggestions?
Hi Robert – maybe try adding 1 more tablespoon flour to the filling. That might help!
My family loved these!! Followed the recipe exactly as written and they turned out great.
I forgot to spray the pan, so they were hard to get out. Spray your pan, folks.
Very delicious lemon bar recipe! I increased butter to 2 sticks because it was still too dry after cutting with 2 knives. I also baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees as it was not setting. Next time I’ll use a flour-dusted water glass to press and flatten butter mixture to pan as it kept sticking to my fingers. Loved using the tin foil too as it came right up after cooling about 20 minutes. Loved the tartness of your recipe instead of a weak lemon bar. Thank you. Feb 2019
Tart. Lemony. PERFECTION!! I just made this for the first time and made it GLUTEN FREE by substituting the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend and my family loved it! I also doubled the filling and used a jelly roll pan as well to make the crust thinner (which was nice and buttery).
I am wanting to make this for a large group. I like the jelly pan idea. When you doubled the recipe for the filling, did you use the regular filling or the thicker filling ingredients? Just wanting to be sure before making this. I don’t want to make a mistake. How many bars did you get from the jelly roll pan? Thanks for the great idea!
I agree ☝️ good recipe! Not as sweet as Ina Garten’s. I like the crust real thin and softer
I loved the filling for this recipe, so tart and lemony, but the crust was not my favorite. It was too floury and lacking in flavor. Next time I’ll use the crust from my old stand-by recipe (more butter, no corn starch) with this lemon filling. I think that will be my version of the perfect lemon bar. It’s always interesting to read the comments and the different perspectives and results for recipes. Thanks for finding – and oftentimes creating – so many great recipes!
This recipe was wonderful. I just started baking about a year ago. I usually made cakes but my friend mentioned lemon bars. I figured I would test myself. I made this for the first time last month and they were a hit at her Fourth of July party. When I asked for dessert requests for a back to work party, she asked for these lemon bars. I’ll be making them for the second time tomorrow. Thanks for this recipe!
Do these freeze well?
I’m not sure – I think the filling/topping might be a little soft and mushy once thawed?
Excellent recipe. Works perfectly every time. Make sure you use a fine grater or micro plane to do the lemon rind. The fresh lemons make it so flavorful. In dry climate, you may need a little water to make crust. I like using my stand mixer for crust & filling. Double the filling & increase baking time, add a dollop of merengue for a lemon pie for a crowd! Great baking blog, Mel! Thanks.
I have never left a comment on a recipe before, but felt I needed to this time.
I am a very experienced home cook and baker. I make most of our bread, and have years of experience in our home kitchen. I am 71. I felt I needed to preface with this.
I’ve made lemon bars for years, using a very straightforward recipe. I never thought much about it, and they always came out just right, even when all I had was bottled lemon juice. Crispy shortbread, lovely sweet and tart topping.
I thought maybe I should try a new recipe, maybe something new had happened in the 50 years since I started making mine. This recipe seemed like a good one. It wasn’t! At every point, I can remember saying to myself, I don’t think this is going to work and it didn’t.
First thing, lining with parchment. Not necessary, because of all the butter in the shortbread. But I did it because I was following the recipe exactly.
Next adding milk to the custard. What??? The custard seemed too thin, and guess what, it was!
Everything took longer to bake than as instructed, and when I brought it out to cool and removed it from the pan, what a mess!
The shortbread was thick and not crispy at all, and the curd was rubbery and unpleasant.
I don’t like to say all these negative things, and there certainly were a lot of positive comments, but as an experienced baker, this was what happened to me when I made this recipe. Again, I followed the recipe exactly. I think I will go back to my old tried-and-true recipe.
I’m sorry if I have hurt anyone’s feelings, but I think it’s important to let people know the possibilities of what might happen. I can’t
think of anything I did wrong, but it certainly is possible I suppose.
Hi Donna. Just read your comments on these lemon bars you tried. Can I please have your tried and true lemon bars that you’ve been making for 50 many years. Thank you and God bless you.
Hi Donna. Would you share your lemon bars recipe.
Thank you
Hi Donna,
Can you share your lemon bar recipe?
thanks,
Sandi
Oh my word. I had some lemons sitting on my counter. I thought “Oh, lemon bars sound good. Haven’t had those in forever!” I searched around. Of course, the internet leads me back to Mel’s Kitchen.
Why did I bother looking anywhere else? These are sunshine in edible form! The filling soft and perfectly lemony. The crust delicately flaky-crispy.
The real shame is that the rest of my family won’t touch them! Oh well, more for me!
Thanks so much, Kelly! 🙂
Just made these bars today for a dinner tomorrow. Of course I just had to try one. I love lemon bars but most recipes are too sweet and not lemony enough for me. This recipe is just what I’ve been looking for. Thanks for sharing.
Why did you ise differnt milk?
I’ve been using this recipe for family gatherings and school events for years! I’ve now graduated culinary school and still not found a lemon bar recipe as good as this one! Thanks mel! Your lemon bars impress family and chef friends all alike!
That’s awesome; thanks so much, Samantha!
Made these today for a family Easter dinner. Showed up with them at 1p….it’s now 8:45p and they are gone. My husband & daughter have asked me to make more next week just for us. My new go to for lemon bars. That crust is killer good. Thank you!!!
I’ve had a favorite lemon bar recipe for 25 years—and these were better!! Thank you! We loved them!! I have gotten to the point that when I want to try a new recipe, I just go to your site to find one, because my family always loves your recipes. We had your beef brisket on Monday, your sweet and sour meatballs later in the week (I loved the skillet suggestion—it made it so much faster,) and your cashew chicken lettuce wraps before our lemon bars, today. Thank you for making dinner at our house, delicious! It is so nice to know that I can try something new, and it will be awesome!!!
Thank you so much!!
Let’s say hypothetically that I made these today, and didn’t read the entire recipe through. I may have let the crust part cool completely and didn’t get the tips part done. How would you recommend warming the crust to finish making this?
This is a wonderful question! Started the crust to discover my husband used most of the eggs while I was out during lunch. Waiting for him to bring me some more right now…… as my crust get colder and colder!! 🙂 Maybe I’ll pop it back in the oven for a couple minutes to try and re-warm it.
Perfect, thank you!
Question; do they need to be refrigerated?
Hi Tom, yes, I like to refrigerate them until serving, but it isn’t necessary.
This is the first time I made shortbread, and that part turned out fine (I was a bit worried because mine did not brown when cooking). But the filling part, probably needs to be cooked at a full 350 for about 30 minutes (depending on your oven). I followed the recipe and then added 10 minutes at the end and I *think* they still were not done, although they “appeared” done. These bars, for me, turned out fine if I were just serving them at home but I tried traveling with them and the custard lemon part got really gooey rather than staying together. Not sure if it’s because this recipe does not require an stove-top custard method(?) These taste really good but don’t plan to travel with them. I have tons of lemons right now, so I will be perfecting my own recipe.
This next time, I am going to add a little bit of unflavored gelatin and perhaps that will get the custard to “gel” more. All the lemon bars I’ve ever eaten from other’s baking them were completely gelled and less gooey.
I just made some really bad lemon squares (not your recipe)! What was I thinking? Mel has never steered me wrong so why didn’t i just go with this recipe in the first place. Now i am off to get more lemons to make more. This time I am sticking with Mel!!!
Is the cornstarch a must with these?
I think so, but you could try leaving it out or subbing another ingredient.
These are the most perfect lemon bars I have ever eaten. I have searched high and low for a recipe with the perfect amount of sweet and tart and of course the perfect crust/filling ratio. I will never try another lemon bar recipe again! I have made these many times over the past few years and they always turn out amazing and never fail to impress whoever is eating them! Thank you Mel for all of the work you have put into making all of your recipes perfection! I come to your site again and again because I can always trust that whatever I make from you will be scrumptious!
Thanks so much, Rachael!
I found this recipe a few years ago and it became the standard in our family by which other lemon bar recipes are judged. We love them. Thank you.
So happy you love these lemon bars, Elayne! Thanks for letting me know.
I messed up epically by setting the oven to 425 instead of 325 for the final bake and they still turned out divine! The shortbread is a perfect texture and the lemon topping is the right balance of sweet and tart. I can’t stand an anemic lemon bar. These have a ton of lemon flavor. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I’ll be making these often (at the right temperature, hopefully).
This lemon bars are INCREDIBLE. Everyone LOVES them who eats them. Thanks for the great recipe.
I love lemon bars but I have never made them right myself and I always have to purchase them from a high end bakery for them to taste the way I like until now this is my 6th time making your recipe every one in my house all of a sudden loves lemon bars I can’t keep them in the house overnight. So thank you for a truly awesome and easy to follow recipe.
That’s awesome, Monica!
These are so good! I’ll admit, I was almost scared off by the mixed results in the comments, but I trusted you and made them anyways (with key lime juice and zest instead of lemon, because my husband is a lime lover). Holy yum, I’ll never doubt you again. Mel, you never fail me.
I’m so happy you loved these, Kaylee!
I made this yesterday and they were perfect! I’d given up on lemon bars a long time ago because they had an egg-y after taste to me. I tried these and no after taste!! Even my hubby who isn’t a fan of lemon bars commented on how great these were! Thank you again and again Mel!
Happy to hear this! Thank you!
Just made these and they turned out perfectly! Do you know if they freeze well? Or just the best way to keep them as long as possible?
If I want to keep them for several days, I pop them in a container and put them in the fridge (I’ve never tried freezing them).
Just made them and they turned out amazing. I’m going to take them to work tomorrow so thank you for the recipe. Hopefully my coworkers will enjoy them as much as I do. 🙂
I made these last night, for a namesake today. Couldn’t find what I did with my usual recipe, soi I used yours. It was great! Even though I couldn’t find mycorn starch, so substituted tapioca flour. I let them sit overnight, They were easy to cut, just firm enough, and easy to wrap in saran wrap. And they unweunwerapped, easily,too. And sold out.I acted a teensy sliver, and it was really good. Thank you!
hi Mel,
I would really love to make these bars. Do you mind sharing the recipe in grams? Where I live, we’re not used to cup measurement. Hope you can help 🙂
I don’t know the conversion for grams since I don’t use that as a measure in my cooking/baking but there are several online calculators that could help you (just google for conversion calculator for baking).
I had the same problem, but doing the calculations was worth it – my lemon bars were a hit…
350°F ~ 180°C, 325°F ~ 160°C
For the crust:
235 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
85 g (2/3 cup) powdered sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on bars
25 g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
170 g (12 tablespoons) butter (1 1/2 sticks), at cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Filling:
4 large eggs
300 g (1 1/3 cups) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, from 2 large lemons
165 mL (2/3 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 3 to 4 large lemons
85 mL (1/3 cup) milk
Pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
THANK YOU for this.
Mel, thanks for this recipe! I’ve made lemon bars before using another recipe but it stuck horribly to the pan and the crust was too flaky. Today I used your recipe for the 1st time and I love the tartness of the filling and the firmer crust.
However, using 12 tbls butter didn’t get me coarse crumbs, even after pulsing for at least 15 seconds. I had to add 4 more tbls of butter to get it to that texture. It’s not as if I was packing down the dry ingredients either – I actually fluffed them up before measuring and leveling. Am I doing something wrong?
Hmmm, not sure why that happened, Katherine. I think it might be a difference in how we each measure our dry ingredients – sounds like you might have had a little more flour in your mixture than I usually do. Sorry that part of the recipe gave you trouble!
they turned out amazing! I am excited to be able to share them with everyone today!
This might not be quite my definition of “perfect,” but it is pretty close! I worried with the comments of crust and filling doing strange things, so I made it as close to the recipe as possible. However, next time, I won’t do the crust up the sides since that doesn’t do it for me. I also had to cook the filling longer than the suggested time, and maybe should have cooked it another minute or two (possibly because I used extra-large eggs). Yum, yum, yum. And so pretty.
The Cook’s Illustrated Lemon Bars recipe has been my favorite for years! My only pet peeve (and this is true for most lemon bar recipes) is the powdered sugar on top. It’s necessary, but I always manage to inhale it and trigger a coughing fit, or get it on dark colored clothing. I finally found a solution – mix powdered sugar and milk, water or even lemonade or orange juice to make a thin glaze. You still get that hit of sweet contrasting with the tart, but it stays put.
If I use 2 8in pans do I need to adjust time or temp? Thanks
I’m not sure there’s enough crust and batter to split this recipe into two 8-inch pans, Joanne.
Gf
This is the Cooks Illustrated recipe, which usually is great. Unfortunately this one is a bomb. The base isn’t really shortbread…it falls apart. Maybe the cornstarch? The filling was thin and ran under the parchment and made them almost impossible to get out of the pan! They taste good but man, they are a mess. There is no way to serve them…and I have 20 women coming tomorrow AM. Ugh.
Sorry to hear that, Dee! I know how frustrating it can be to make a recipe for company and not have it work out. I’ve made this dozens and dozens of times to great success – which I know doesn’t help you right now, but I wonder if something went wrong in the mixing or adding of ingredients? Again, sorry they didn’t work out for you.
Hi – I have a bunch of Pepperidge Farms chess cookies that I need to use. I was thinking of making crumbs out of them for the crust for lemon bars. If I do this, do I bake the cookie crust before adding the lemon filling on top? I guess I would since I would have to add butter to make the crust stick together right? What I found on line says to add butter & powdered sugar.
I’m not really sure since I haven’t tried it with those cookies, Tammy – but I do think I’d suggest baking the crust.
Well, I don’t know if it was the cookie crust or what, but my bars didn’t work. They are a sticky mess. They tasre good, but I can’t cut them to make nice squares. Not sure what I did wrong. I’m normally a pretty good cook.
you didn’t follow the directions!!! those of you who tweak and change and morph things into something else shouldn’t complain or be surprised when it doesn’t work!
Totally agree with you. I’ve been making these squares (the original ones) for several years now and they turn out perfectly every time.
I made these bars, but split them between an 8×8 ceramic and a 9×9 glass dish for reasons to long to explain here :)… I was worried the crust to filling ratio was too high (there was way less filling than what the pictures show and I was bringing this in for a co-workers birthday so I was a bit nervous), but it was actually a perfect balance of sweet & tart. I used a food processor to cut the butter into the crust and it worked amazing. I didn’t have a zester so I peeled the lemon and diced it really small which created delicious bits of caramelized lemon peel in the filling.
These lemon bars are so yummy! How do you get them to cut so cleanly?
I usually use my large bench scraper to cut them into clean lines.
You can also use a rocking pizza cutter if you have one! It also helps to use parchment paper so they don’t stick to the sides or bottoms 🙂
Does this recipe double and fit in a cookie sheet? Or are the sides too shallow? I’m needing to make it for a large gathering.
I’ve never made it in a large cookie sheet but my feeling is that the sides might be too shallow like you suggested.
In my experience, if you double the recipe, you’ll have too much, but I’ve had great success doing 1.5 times the recipe designed for a 9×13 pan into a cookie sheet. Things do end up slightly thinner, to be sure, but the cooking times generally remain the same. The slightly smaller portions are worth it to me when cooking for a large number of people.
Made these yesterday. Patted the crust with a heavy meat tenderizer, and the crust came out perfect. The filling, too,but I feel there is not enough lemon for the thickness of the crust. I am not a lemon bar aficionado, but, just eel there should have been more lemon. Can I make some more filling and pour it on top, cook for a while longer? Or top it off with dollops of lemon curd?
I made the recipe exactly as written, BTW.
I bake “Xmas gifts” , so start Dec. 1st. I always freeze lemon bars and have not had any complaints. I have never tried this recipe, but will this year. I make a few different types of lemon bars as some of my family want very lemony and others not as tart.
i love lemon bars. i did this recipe and i love the crust, but the filling was too wet for me. i would try adjusting the flour next time. but the richness of the feeling was lemony perfect.
I’ve been collecting recipes for lemon bars but not sarisfied with any — this one is just what I want with the shortbread-type crust. Try it this weekend for sure. I love your site and used many recipes. Yesterday I made the cornbread with zucchini, but made 12 wonderful muffins with it. They were delicious! Had them for dinner last night and breakfast this morning. Thanks for all the great recipes.
I was wondering if anyone had tried this recipe with oranges or limes?
Just made these lemon bars this afternoon. I made one mistake but I had to share because they still taste AWESOME lol!! I measured 3/4 cup lemon juice instead of 2/3 cup. Luckily I noticed it before I added the milk, so I only used 1/4 cup milk to keep the total liquid at 1 cup. They are amazing, yes a little extra tart but they baked, set, look and taste superb. That’s when you know you have an amazing recipe to start with!! So glad I found you and your recipe. I’ll make these forever!!
Hi, I just found your lemon bar recipe and I can’t wait to try! May I ask does this lemon bar freeze well?
I’ve never frozen these but others in the comments may have tried it if you read through the thread.
Has anyone tried to freeze these? How do they thaw?
Thanks!
I’ve never tried freezing them but I think others have if you read through the comments.
Can’t wait to try the lemon bars. I’m going to take them to a baby shower.
I’ve only cut into the corner and noticed the filling is soft (I baked them for 20 minutes). Can I put it back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to firm-up? Also the person who mentinoed her lemon bars came out eggy and spongy. Mine came out that way once, because I didn’t whisk the eggs thoroughly.
You could try refrigerating to firm up the filling – not sure about putting it back in the oven but it’s worth a try if the filling is overly soft.
It’s so obvious all the “I’ll give it a try ” comments were paid for…
Dang, guess I missed out on my payment then 😛
How well do these freeze? If they don’t freeze, do you have a recommendation for one of your bar recipes that DOES freeze well and is super easy?
I LOVE your blog. SO many great recipes! I love that when I try one, I know it’s going to be what you say it’s going to be.
I haven’t ever tried freezing these but my guess is they won’t freeze as well as something like these chocolate chip bars or these oatmeal chocolate chunk bars.
Hi there, I have a question! 🙂 I’m in Australia and lemon bars/squares aren’t really a thing here so I’ve never had one before in my life, but in my head I expected a lemon curd/lemon meringue pie filling on a biscuity base. I tried your recipe and while they are absolutely delicious, I was surprised that the lemon filling was soft, eggy and spongey. Is this the way they are supposed to be or did I goof something up? I’m absolutely not complaining because they are very very delicious, I’m just wondering if I’ve earnt bragging rights or if I need to do better next time! XD Maybe I overcooked? Mine we’re a lot more brown on top than your’s.
Hi Jenga – the filling, once baked, should be soft but still hold it’s shape – the way you described them, I think you probably made them the right way. It isn’t as creamy as a lemon curd. Try shaving a few minutes off the baking time if you make them again – that will help the filling stay a little softer.
i loved your recipe. i will use it with your permission
Is the milk necessary in The filling? If the milk were left out would the filling be firmer?
I’ve never omitted the milk so I’m not sure how it would affect the filling.
I have celiac and I’d like to replace the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour instead (rice flour, almond flour, chickpea flour, etc.). Do you think they will turn out the same if I switch up the flour I use?
I have no idea, Dee, since I haven’t tried it but you could certainly experiment.
Fantastic recipe, just the right amount of sugar. I added 1/3 of unsweetened coconut and more lemon zest to my crust. Everyone i shared a piece of lemon bar with said it was excellent and they were glad to be taste testers for this recipe. Good job and thank you for sharing your findings on your blog.
these just finished cooling. They are fantastic. Going to take to relative’s house for Easter dessert. These are definitely a keeper. Lemon taste is right on!!
Do you store these in the fridge?
Yes, you can. Sometimes if it’s just for a short time (a day or less), I keep them at room temperature.
My sister “commandeered” my 9×13 pan, would a glass one throw off the baking time at all?
Hey Katie – decrease the baking temp by 25 degrees if using a glass pan and watch the time carefully – you may need to pull it out a few minutes early.
I’m so excited to bake these — they look amazing! I’ll be using a glass pan and will drop the crust baking temperature to 325 as suggested; do I need to make any changes to the oven temperature when baking the filling? Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve also been on the hunt for the perfect lemon bars…
I’m not sure, Patricia, since I haven’t baked them in a glass pan. I’d suggest taking the temp down 25 degrees the entire time of baking and just keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
I baked mine in a glass 9×13 (acidic foods are recommended not to be baked in metal) with parchment paper for the temperatures listed. The crust cooked in the stated time though the filling took about 27 minutes until it was set enough.
Hey, I have a question. So I bought unsalted butter -___-… so for the pinch of salt how much can I put for the crust?
I’d suggest about 1/4 teaspoon or so.
These were delicious and turned out perfectly just as everyone said. I love them. They’re not too tart, and absolutely the perfect lemon bar recipe. Thank you. I’m glad I found you, and I now follow you on Pinterest. Yay!
I am thinking of topping with toasted coconut, do you think that would work?
Certainly worth experimenting!
Every time I have made lemon bars, I have the same problem.
When I’ve cooled the bars & sprinkle the powdered sugar on top, it absorbs into the bar and disappears. This is even the day after I’ve made them. Any idea what the problem might be?
Sometimes if the bars have been covered, they get a little moisture on the top and that can make the powdered sugar dissolve instead of stay on top.
Hi: I love these lemon bars – especially the crust! I’d like to use this crust for my lemon meringue pie. (I use the recipe from the New Best Recipe book). Do you think this crust would work in a pie plate? Also, any recommendation on how long to pre-bake it? Any guidance would be most appreciated!
Hi Lisa – I haven’t tried this crust in a pie plate. It’s worth a try although I worry a little that because of the butter, it will slide down the sides of the plate while baking. You might want to line it with foil/pie weights and freeze it before baking. Good luck!
Are lemon bars suppose to be soft on the inside? Sorry its my first time making 🙂
Hi Julie – yes, the inside will be soft and slightly gooey while the crust is firm. Does that help?
hello, can I use a 9 inch square pan to make this? And what kind of butter did you use? Salted or Unsalted?
I used salted butter. You would probably want to halve the recipe if using a pan that small.
I just made these with Meyer lemons from my grandma’s tree in California. They are so good I think I could eat them for the rest of my life and nothing else!!
Also, may I ask why you chose to use salted butter? Just curious.
I always use salted butter – it’s what I keep on hand. 🙂
As I was listening to the radio show of CI (from which you adapted this recipe) I want to share their thoughts about butter. Christopher said they have started using all salted butter. They say it keeps better than unsalted. And it also seems to get incorporated well into the whole recipe.
Hi, there! These sound amazing! Did you use a metal 9×13 baking pan?
Yes, I usually use my aluminum 9X13-inch baking pan for these.
Wow, these are amazing!
Have been so excited to try this recipe and finally did today. Followed instructions but the crust burned after the 20 min baking time:(
Is it salted butter or unsalted?
Salted.
Hands down – the very best lemon bars I have ever made… or tasted. Wonderful, delicious crust that would be good on its own (think buttery shortbread cookie). And the lemon… wonderfully tart, not too sweet. Absolute perfection!!
hi mel, I made the full recipe of lemon bars yes terday They came out delicious
but my filling didn’t come out as firm as hoped. If want a firmer f illing how much
more flour or cornstarch would I need to add. thank you
I’m not really sure as the filling has always been firm enough for me. You’d have to experiment adding more flour or cornstarch. Sorry they didn’t turn out how you were expecting.
H, Mel,
Lemon bars are my mom’s favorite. I used your recipe for lemon bars for her birthday, and she loved them!! I am now going to check out your site for some recipes for dessert goodies for Christmas.
Thank you so much!! You really do a great with your website. I truly don’t know how you have time with 5 kids. I am really impressed.
Chiara Jaffe
Thank you!
if I want to make 1/2 a reciepe in a 9 inch square pan would I just divide all the ingrediants in the crust & filling in half or would I use the original amt for the filling
as I ‘d like to keep the nice balance between the filling & crust, but just in 1/2 the amount?
The surface area of a 9-inch square pan isn’t exactly half of a 9X13-inch pan but it should work pretty well to just divide everything in half.
Your recipes are the best, Mel! Today is my son’s birthday and he requested a lemon dessert so I’m headed to the kitchen now to make these. Thanks so much!
I needed a dessert for after a spaghetti dinner. My wife and I both thought “Lemon something”. I searched for lemon bar recipes. They were all so different; anywhere from 1 cup of lemon juice to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. They, likewise, varied so much in the sugar content.
Yours were a perfect balance. What sold me on them was the wonderful description you included that explained how you settled on this recipe. I look forward to exploring your other recipes.
Thanks so much.
Note: You forgot to include the salt in step 3. 🙂
So glad you loved them, David – and thanks for the heads up on the salt!
Hey Mel –
These look great and I’m going to make them for a birthday party on Saturday. How far in advance can I make? And, how long can they safely be out of the fridge without going bad?
Thanks!
I’ve made these up to a day in advance and kept them out of the refrigerator for a couple hours (probably longer if it’s not overly warm).
I have just discovered your blog and I am only sad it took me so long! I had a day at home today and had a “Mel’s Kitchen Cafe Baking Day”. I’m not kidding, I went nuts. Made these, Double Chocolate M&M Cookies & French Bread Roll burger buns. Perfect, perfect, perfect – all were completely amazing! Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes…I can’t wait to try more! =)
Wow, Laura! I wish I was at your house this weekend! That’s an epic day of baking. I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes!
I tried this recipe it was deli she’s to taste. But when I poured the lemon in the warm crust the crust floated. And the lemon was under the crust and between the parchment paper.
Love these lemon bars, love that there’s someone else out there who spent their childhood watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Thanks for the tremendously delicious recipe! 🙂
I made the recipe and the crust turned out hard (gummy) 🙁 What did I possibly do wrong?
Ana – It’s hard to know without being there with you in your kitchen – sounds like the crust may have overbaked a bit.
Probably! Thanks!!!
someone made this recipe and tell me if it’s good? Thanks! 🙂
I made these yesterday after having disaster after disaster making lemon bars… Lemon omelets anyone? Anyway, this one is perfect. Perfect perfect perfect! My 3 year old loves them and he rarely eats lemon things. I left off the sugar dusting at the end because I prefer them that way. Thank you for this wonderful (and successful) recipe!
A couple months ago, I starting baking every week for my husbands employees. (It helps me curb my baking desires and sends away a lot of unneeded sweets since it is only my hubs and I). So far this is the only lemon bar recipe that I have tried that I love. I want to be selfish and eat the whole pan over a few days instead of sending the bars into work with him tomorrow. I have decided to work my way through all of your bar recipes, so next up for everyone are the sugar cookie bars. 🙂
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your blog.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme?
Great work!
just didn’t think very highly of the filling reminded me more of lemon curd than lemon bars. the crust was ok thought might try the crust with a different filling
Why do you have to line your pan with foil/ parchment paper and why do you have to build the crust up 1/2 inch up the sides. I never do that with my lemon bar recipe, which I might assume is equally delicious. I thought yours sounded interesting with the addition of the cornstarch in the crust so I’m going to give them a try, but just wondering why the lining and building of the sides????
Roberta Klink – I always line my pan with foil since it makes for much easier cleanup (especially with the sticky lemon bar filling). I like building up the sides so there is crust encasing a lot of the filling but you don’t have to do that.
Mel: Just recently discovered your web site and have found lots of recipes I want to try. Today, I wanted to make something special to send to my brother for his birthday and he loves lemon bars. Made these today and the whole family fell in love with these. Definitely a keeper. Can’t wait to try more recipes from this site. Thanks!/bj
B.J. Apsley – So glad you loved these! I hope you enjoy any other recipes you try!
High, this recipe looks great and I’d love to give it go but I’m in England and we use metric measurements over here. If you know the conversions to grams it would be great if you could post it on here. If not, just tell how many ounces are a cup measurement?
Toby le rone – You will have to google an online conversion calculator. Sorry I’m not more help.
Just pulled these out, stuck a tooth pick in the center to have a taste of the filling…Yummo! I doubled the recipe and placed in disposable 9×9 pans… We like thick crust and filling… Baked 35 minutes. Sure they will be absolutely amazing tomorrow at work… Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Can you substitute anything for cornstarch? Maybe flour…
Michele – Good question but I’m really not sure since I haven’t subbed anything. Worth a try, though. Good luck if you try it.
How would you store these?
Viktoriya – Bake, cool, and store in an airtight container.
Viktoriya – I forgot to mention to store them in the refrigerator after you put them in the airtight container.
Thank you for this lemon bar recipe! It is the best I’ve ever made.
Could you use bottled lemon juice? Would the taste be any different?
Hi Viktoriya – I would definitely try and use fresh lemon juice – because the lemon flavor is so predominant, I think the bottled lemon juice will make it taste less fresh (and kind of plasticky).
Marvelous! I’d never made lemon bars before. These came together so nicely & were an absolute HIT! This is now a staple recipe for me. Thank you!
HOLEY MOLEY! These are the BOMB!
Thank you again for another out of this world recipe!
Wow, these look perfect! Just what I have been looking for! Thanks, Mel!
Could I halve this recipe to fit an 8×8 inch baking pan? Also, could you describe the consistency of the bottom layer/crust? It says to cut in softened butter till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs but I don’t think softened butter has that effect. Cold butter does. So I’m a little confused about how the crust mixture should look like after cutting in the butter.
Mary – Yes, it can be halved for an 8X8 inch pan although the crust may be a bit thicker. And the texture of the crust is like coarse crumbs, even with the softened butter – it’s just slightly softer to the touch.
Mel, these lemon bars are perfect. I made half a batch for Easter yesterday and everyone devoured them! They are simple to make and the taste is amazing! My first attempt at lemon bars were Ina Garten’s recipe but they were terrible! Lucky for me I turned to your website and found the perfect recipe. I knew you would not disappoint. Everything I make from this site tastes awesome. Many thanks!
Liana from Canada
Thanks, Liana! I’m so happy you loved these!
These lemon bars are incredible! Thanks, Mel!
I made these for a friend’s birthday and they were a big hit! I had searched for the perfect lemon bar a few years back and given up but I think this is it. I almost made in Ina’s glad I saw this one. Thank you
Made these today and they were fantastic! A friend gave me some beautiful Meyer lemons from her tree and they were perfect for this recipe. Definitely a keeper!
Next on list my list to try are the crispy burritos. Thanks for sharing!
I just made these today for a Spring lunch at work tomorrow. I don’t know what I did wrong but the filling ran underneath the crust and it turned out to be a gooey mess. It’s like I have lemon upside down bars. I lined the pan with parchment and pushed the crust up the sides 1/2 inch like the recipe says. Disappointed that I can’t share these tomorrow.
After hunting on the internet for a recipe that looked like “the” one, I found yours. I just made these. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. Thank you
I followed the recipe to a T, and mine came out NOT so Perfect :/….When I took them out the top looked firm and how the directions describe…I let it cool for over two hrs then went in to take a bite…First reaction, “ugh gooey and taste like I’m eating a quiche” I don’t think the filling layer cooked all the way, compared to the picture above mine definitely does not looked throughly cooked. This recipe has too much of an egg taste for me, personally. And although I had read reviews about more than 3 eggs on any given lemon bar recipe would taste egg-ish…I still wanted to try this recipe, because of its title…But I believe that next time I will go with a recipe that calls for 2 eggs instead of 4…
Now I’m facing the decision…
To put or not to put in back in the over, even though its cooled for 2hrs….Hmm I guess i’ll give it try since the taste wasn’t what I thought it would be.
The filling was delicious but the crust was really hard.
Hi Mel
I live in Italy and the lemon trees in our neighbourhood are loaded with fruit at the moment so I’ve been making lemon desserts and sweets. Your lemon bars were just delicious and I posted the recipe (which I modified slightly as I preferred a little less sugar) on my blog: karmaroma.joydaz.ca. Thanks for a really yummy teatime treat.
I made these last weekend and they were THE BEST lemon bars ever. I won’t tell you how many I ate. AMAZING!
Just finished making these up and they are delicious. Technically they need to cool more but I couldn’t resist and I might eat the entire thing by myself. Easy to make and prep. Thank you for sharing!
Just made these for a party tomorrow and they turned out pretty good. I personally thought the filling wasn’t quite sweet enough so next time I’ll add a little more sugar or maybe just a little less lemon juice. The crust was amazing though!!
I really wanted to love these, but unfortunately, my results weren’t as good as the name, picture or description implies. The cookie layer wasn’t as thick as depicted even though I used a 9 x 13 pan. The crust didn’t brown either. The filling was tasty. Keep in mind that powdered sugar “melts away” and must be replenished before service. And, Lemon Bars do not keep so I would recommend making and serving in the same day. I will keep looking because this recipe is NOT perfect, although it was appealing due to less sugar.
“Perfect” is right! These are delicious and SO easy to make. You won’t find a better lemon bar recipe.
These are perfect! Just found your website today and made these. Oh my goodness, I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
My new go to recipe, I cut the sugar in the lemon custard by 1/4 ~ amazing, woke up early to make dessert for lunch after church, yes they are that easy!
I made these Lemon Bars for a party recently and I had more than one person come up to me and say – “these are the best Lemon Bars I’ve ever had.”
I’m making them again this weekend. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
feliz Año 2014!!! mel…
Since a find your blog, is a most , that every time i need
a recipe..i will find it in your blog….i have a small yellow lemon tree at mi house
that produce a lottt of lemons, and i want a desert recipe for my happy new year family party..and this recipe ….goodness!! The lemon bars were AMAZING! Just perfect!! Many thanks!!
I loved Ina …………………………Thank you for giving us a new alternative!
I just made these. The crust is delicious. A basic buttery shortbread. The filling is just the right amount of lemony and sweet. It hasn’t completely cooled, I left it in the oven closer to 30 mins and it is still kinda loose/gooey. Hopefully it firms a tad. I made a raspberry curd and marbled it in the bar. It pairs nicely. Overall, a good recipe worth giving a shot.
I made these and presented them to a friend at work. She had originally planned on sharing them, but after her first bite, she covered them up on her desk to keep for herself! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
I am not a fan of lemon for dessert. I just don’t really get the sour taste into sweet things. My husband however, is the opposite so he decided to make it one day. Did I mention he does not really cook except for his infamous spaghetti, a.k.a secret sauce comes in a jar? Well, he found your site—thank goodness!! The lemon bars were AMAZING! Just perfect! I am now a fan! Many thanks!!
Holy Cow….. I made these this morning and OMG…. So good. Just the right amount of lemon. I added 4T extra of butter and used my food processor to make crust. I also added one extra egg white to the filling… Thank you for the wonderful recipe. They sure are addicting.
I just made the lemon bars. Final cooling period in progress. Crust is aromatic and beautiful. Just like shortcake. My house smells like angels farted. Filling turned out perfect. Perfect balance. Its a countdown til we attack. Dessert may come before dinner. A good sign.
that’s a good idea. thanks. Rose
hi: i don’t have 9×13, but i have 10×15 pan, do you know if i need to add half recipe to this in order to fit in my pan? thanks.
Rose – I think one and a halving the recipe would actually be too much for your size of pan. If I were you, I’d use aluminum foil to make a barrier inside of your pan to approximate the 9X13-inch size and then just proceed with the recipe as normal..
I made these for Labor Day. I wanted them to be the best lemon bars I’ve ever tasted, but I’m not sure they were. Don’t get me wrong – they were very good, but not mind-blowing the way some commenters are saying.
Love Mel and her recipes. She’s definitely right, though – these are better than the Ina Garten recipe.
I just made these today & they are truly perfect! Thank you so much!!
I made these last night and they were heavenly! Just like a ray of sunshine!!
Lemon Bars were the first thing I ever baked by myself! I was 12 years old and SO proud that I made them no less than 50 times in one year, eating most of them before they’d even cooled in the pan. I still have my handwritten/doodled/colored recipe card that I penned when I was 12 and this new recipe will go alongside of it 🙂 Can’t wait to try these!
I followed your recipe and just took my lemon bars out of the oven. I can’t wait to try it out! It’s the first time I’ve made lemon bars so… 🙂
My mom never made Lemon Bars, but I had an aunt that made them for family parties. I would eat so many I would be sick. Now they are a staple and I confess, I sometimes have to make them in the winter to satisfy lemon cravings! I can’t wait to try these perfect ones!
OMG Mel, I just had to come back to this post to let you know how glad I am that you shared this recipe. I’m currently eating these lemon bars right now and they truly are “perfect!” They remind me so much of my mom’s lemon meringue pie. Thank you for my new favorite lemon bar recipe. 🙂
Is it okay to use shortening instead of butter with this recipe?
Hi Sophie – I wouldn’t recommend it. The butter is what helps the crust taste spectacular.
I tried these–and loved love loved them!
But my crust was not super. I think it must have been due to the butter being too soft. I blended it all in my Ninja, but the butter didn’t crumble evenly and I had spots of good crust and spots of bad crust. I will try grating it next time!
I made these lemon bars for dessert tonight and as with all your recipes, they were delicious! I have made your French Bread Rolls many times. For a family picnic, I decided to use this roll recipe and make pepperoni rolls with it. Oh, the compliments and I am truly expecting Food Network to call me any time now . . . 🙂
Made these for the fourth, delicious! Loved the crust. Definitely my new lemon bar recipe, thanks for sharing.
Hi Mel,
Made the lemon bars today – PERFECT. Perfect amount of tartness versus sweet and I loved the crust! I’ve tried several lemon bar recipes and I think this is THE one!
Thanks for sharing and hope you had a great weekend –
Thanks for all the recipes. Just wondering….the oven I have here will only fit an 8X8, maybe a 9X9 square glass pan (IT SUCKS!!)….what do you suggest? Cutting the recipe in half just doesn’t seem like it would result in the proper ratios, although that would be the easiest it seems….any help?? Thanks
Hi Tyler – hmmm, that’s a good question. I’d probably halve the recipe and use a 9X9 pan. I think the amounts would be way too much for an 8X8. Even with a 9X9, when you make the crust, eyeball it because you may want to only add 3/4 of it (but I think a full halved recipe of the filling should be fine). Good luck!
Love the look of this. Need to make it ASAP. There goes my diet 🙂
R
These look amazing. i’m going to make these next Sunday. The crust in the recipe I currenty use is hard to cut through, so I’m interested in a crust that is a little softer and less brittle. Btw, 3 of your recipes made an appearance at our July 4th bbq- grilled island chicken ( which out-did 1 other meat choice), the sugar cookie bars- I kept the icing white and added red white and blue star sprinkles ( they were so cute),But the grand finale was the red white and blue layered drink, which I made at the last minute , and everyone was already at the table, so when I brought the big, clear pitcher in, they were all amazed. I felt like I was on food network.
Okay, your description of Sundays growing up fits mine exactly! I’m so glad you went for a thicker crust – I can’t get enough butter, ever! Thanks again, Mel! “Bless your beautiful hide!”
Thanks for posting these, Mel. I needed to make dessert for the 4th, and I had no lemons but plenty of limes. I reduced the salt a bit, used limes, and added one drop of green food coloring. The lime bars are delicious!
Thank you for this recipe! I have a summer party to go to tomorrow; I did a search on Pinterest for “lemon”, and this was the best-looking photo of the bunch. : ) I’m glad there’s no butter in the lemon topping – butter should be tucked into flaky little pockets of dough, not makin’ my lemon all butter-flavored. And I just realized this was a recent post! Perfect timing!
How did I know you would love Anne of Green Gables?? (did I mention I have an Anne??)–just finding kindred spirits makes lemon bars more delicious–and I’m glad you mentioned Cook’s Illustrated–we just got one for Christmas that I’ve only skimmed, so I may need to move it to my easytoreach cupboard now! 🙂 Best wishes w/ all of the house-improving!
Thanks Mel, i had a bag of lemons in the fridge and was looking for recipe ideas when i saw your post. they turned out EXCELLENT! i’ve had good recipes with shortbread crusts but the cornstarch does bring it to a whole other level of yummy. thanks for the yummy homemade recipes you post 🙂
I’ve been on the search for an easy lemon bars recipe and here you are posting one! This is why I love your blog so much 😉
Are lime and lemon bars interchangeable?
(will try this recipe one day)
I love you for these. I *have* been craving lemon bars, even went out and bought lemons a little bit ago and then didn’t do anything with them because I didn’t have a reliable recipe. So thank you for these, I’m sure they will be perfect!!
Ina Garten is my hero indeed. But there have been a few ‘misses’ I’ve made from her recipe collection. For instance, there was the famous Truffle Butter Pasta debacle of Christmas Eve 2010. FOUL. I guess our palettes can’t agree on everything. So yeah, I don’t think the 3 cups of sugar lemon bars would sit well with me. Nasty.
Hi Mel! These lemon bars look so good! Do you think you can freeze lemon bars, or will it ruin the texture? Also, how long do these stay good at room temperature for or would you recommend storing them in the fridge?
Michelleou – I’ve had bad luck freezing lemon bars so I don’t recommend it. The one time I tried it, the texture was super funky after thawing. I would say these stay good for 2-3 days. I like to store them in the refrigerator.
Thank you for the warning about freezing. But it is good to know I can make these on Friday. The Open House party is Sunday afternoon.
These really do look like the perfect little lemon bars! I want a dozen! … And I ain’t takin’ them to no party.
Oh Mel, How you always seem to know what I need on a Wednesday morning. Lemon bars, pure perfection!
Also wanted to say how very much I love you site. I can always count on your recipes to make delicious meals that my whole family will eat. Thank you for making meal planning easy and very enjoyable…not to mention tasty.
Made these to share with our neighbors tonight. They are perfect! Perfectly sweet, perfectly tart! Loved by everyone!
You named two of my favorite movies of all time. Along with one of my favorite desserts, and this was a perfect post just for me. Can’t wait to try these lemon bars!
I love all things lemony! Especially this time of year! My mom would go crazy for these too! So glad you have the perfect ones for us to make! 🙂
I loved Ina Garten too, but her lemon bar recipe is horrid. Thank you for giving us a new alternative!
Lemon Bars are one of my favorite desserts! I prefer them with a lemon glaze, though, instead of powdered sugar. I think I might try your bar recipe and replace the powdered sugar on top with a glaze. 🙂
Ok, I don’t know if I love AofGG more or lemon bars?! Eating these beautiful tart, buttery squares while watching my favorite movie series….that IS perfect!!!!
I too crave lemon bars even though I’m a confirmed chocoholic.There are days when even chocolate doesn’t cut it. I’ve used the same recipe for over 25 years but I’ll have to try these, my recipe doesn’t have cornstarch. If it wasn’t so hot & humid today I’d try them right away. So now the craving begins……
These look divine:) I can’t wait to make them!
I saw others comment that they never crave lemon bars. I’m not sure I ever crave them either; can only say that I do like them…but then I make them and simply CAN NOT stop eating them! I’ve been making a recipe for, umm, 25 years that friends say are the best. Our recipes differ slightly but both have a lot less sugar than Emeril’s! I’m going to make yours next time; I’m now dying for a taste test comparison!
Oh yes… lemon bars! Can’t wait to try your recipe!!!
Love lemon bars. Thanks Mel. I think I already copied this one. You offered it a while back. Happy 4th!
I don’t even like lemon flavored desserts but these look beautiful and absolutely scrumptious!
I agree that it is so hard to find just the right combo for lemon bars and so I had given up on making them. Can’t wait to try these. They sure look perfect!
I am a huge fan of cooks illustrated cookbooks. A few years ago I bought several on eBay but it seems like I never take time to sit down and look through them. Anyway, my family loves lemon bars and I know these will be great!
My weakness. So funny how you describe baking something and devouring them while watching weakly shows. I use to bake brownies every Sat and devour half the pan while watching 21 Jump St.
I tried making lemon bars from scratch. Once. That didn’t go so well. So now I am loyal to Krusteaze. And I tried their recipe suggestion on the box of adding cream cheese to them and they blew my mind. They weren’t cheesecakey so much, like Baker’s Square Lemon Supreme pie. Which I don’t understand why I don’t like because I LOVE cream cheese AND lemon meringue pie. But not that together. So if you ever see the box of Krusteaze in the store, check out the recipe on the back, you should love it. And they also have lime bars. Margaritas anyone?
I love lemon bars but have never tried making them. Now that I have the perfect recipe, I think I’ll have to!
I really do not care for lemon anything, but lemon bars is one thing that I will eat that has lemon in it. Thanks for sharing, I will have to try these for sure.
This recipe is almost exactly like Emeril’s Super Lemony Lemon Squares. The only difference is he has an optional 2TBS limoncello in the filling, which I’ve never used. And I have to agree, this recipe is really amazing. I, too, like lots of crust and I can’t stop eating these once they’re made. 🙂
I have been waiting for you to post this. Lemon bars are my fav! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
These look delicious. I will certainly try your recipe.
I never crave lemon bars either. But… Yowza! They look good!
Yum! Lemon bars are one of my family’s favorite! Will give these a try. Thanks!
Yum! My love for lemon is second only to my deep love for chocolate. I’ll totally give these a try!
Lemon bars are my favorite dessert! These look heavenly!
If you put the word perfect before lemon bars, I just have to try them! It´s an elusive recipe, and I think it´s made worse by the difference in the lemons throughout the year. But I love your comments on this one. And they look so perfectly perfect! btw, I agree 100% with your comment about IG recipe.