Easy Lemon Bar Recipe (With Video Tutorial)
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This easy lemon bar recipe includes the perfect blend of zesty lemon flavor and irresistible sweetness with a shortbread crust that has an exquisitely light crunch.
I’m so very excited about this easy lemon bar recipe post and video tutorial! I hope you’ll watch it and comment below. It includes two very special guests: Terri, the reader who gave me the Dixie cornbread recipe, and another surprise guest (watch to find out).
But back to these luscious lemon bars! When I say this is an easy lemon bar recipe, you know I mean it! We first have to combine the butter, flour, and sugar to make the base, which we pre-bake. While that’s baking, we stir together the remaining lemon filling ingredients and pour them over the top, and bake once more. Then all you have to do is patiently wait for them to cool before sprinkling them with confectioner’s sugar.
These lemon bars are perfectly sweet but with a deliciously tangy and tart lemon flavor. Because we pre-bake the shortbread base, it has an exquisitely light crunch to it that I cannot get enough of! The combination of this with the soft and smooth lemon curd filling that just melts in your mouth is irresistible, let me tell you!
I hope you enjoyed watching this tutorial on how to make lemon bars as much as we did making it.
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Butter
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon juice
- Baking powder
How to Make Easy Lemon Bars
Making the Shortbread Crust
First, we’re going to make the base. Sift together flour and confectioner’s sugar.
Cut in butter until the mixture clings together.
Press base into a baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.
Making the Lemon Filling
Combine and beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice.
Sift flour and baking powder.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Pour this over the baked lemon bar crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly brown and set.
Remove from the oven.
Cool and then sprinkle in the confectioner’s sugar.
Cut into bars and try not to eat all of these lovely before offering them to family and friends!
I sure do hope you enjoy 😀.
Storage
- These lemon bars are a great make-ahead dessert, as you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
- You can also freeze the un-dusted bars for up to 4 months. Thaw them in the fridge and then dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
Recipe Notes
- You can use either bottled lemon juice or fresh lemon juice.
- If using lemons to make fresh lemon juice, you can also add the lemon zest for added lemon flavor.
- To add more flavor to the base, go ahead and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- For easier removal, line your baking dish with parchment paper. Then you can use the leftover parchment paper hanging over the sides as handles to easily lift the lemon bars out of the pan.
- Refrigerate the bars before cutting them to make it easier to cut them into clean squares.
You may also like these bar recipes:
Three Layer Chocolate Fantasy Bars
Gooey Butter Bars From Scratch
Or if you are hankering for more lemon recipes:
Ingredients
Base
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
Filling
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp confectioner's sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Base
- Sift together flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture clings together. Press into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
Filling
- Combine and beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Sift flour and baking powder and stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Pour the batter over the baked crust.4 eggs, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until slightly brown and set. Remove from the oven. Cool and then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before cutting into bars.4 tbsp confectioner's sugar
Nutrition
I have never made Lemon Bars, but one of my granddaughters requested it for Christmas so they are in the oven now! I know they will be delicious!!
I hope you enjoy them Judy!! Have a Merry Christmas!!
Well, I WAS going to make your Lemon Bars, but you left out how much flour goes into the filling. I even watched the video, and while you said the amount of every other ingredient, when it came time to say how much flour to put in the filling — nothing. 🙁
Goodness Gracious, what a tone you have. Bless your heart. The Mama in me got my hackles up and wanted to call you little missy and ask who you were talking to with that voice. 🙂 But then I remembered that you aren’t my child and I can imagine the frustration I’d feel if I looked at a recipe and overlooked a necessary ingredient. I was very concerned since this recipe was posted four years ago and no one had mentioned me leaving out an ingredient. So I logged in and went to see if I had left the flour out.
I found it listed in the ingredients so realize you must have just overlooked it. Please see the last line.
I hope things get continually better in your day from here!
Gratefully,
Christy
Hi Christy Your Lemon Bars are so good Ihave made them many times as they are one of my favorite desserts. Thank you again for the recipe
Hey CHRISTY, Me again! Just realized I misspelled your name in my previous comment, and that bugged me so I had to fix it. Often misspell words, however, I can’t stand to get names wrong.
Christie, Recently I found your blog after seeing you in a magazine I think it was from Alfa Insurance. Now I’m wondering what else in this great big ‘ole world I’ve been missing. Seriously, I live in a very rural community near Guntersville AL, so not too far from your neck of the woods. How could I have been missing out on Southern Plate for so long? On the bright side, I’m having a grand time catching up as time permits. It’s kinda like finding a bargain at Unclaimed Baggage center and wanting to tell everybody about it! I’m thankful I found your site; it’s a real gem and brightens my day! P.S. You look perpetually 29!!!
Christie, I have to say that you look younger now than you did 4 years ago! (And even prettier too!)
My favorite quote from the video–“Food tastes better if you touch it some.” Thanks for bringing some sunshine to this rainy day and for showing an easy lemon bar recipie-my husband’s favorite!