With This Guide, You’re Going to Make the Perfect Lemon Bars: Simple Sweet Recipes at Home

Sweet, tangy and refreshing, lemon bars are delicious and rich in flavor. The lemon curd filling is thick and creamy and the shortbread crust is buttery and delicious. They're a great dessert to have at picnics, baby showers, birthdays, or any other special occasion. So follow this guide to make the most delectable lemon bars and you’ll have a new favorite on your hands.

Ingredients:

For the shortbread crust:

• 226 gm unsalted butter, melted
• 100 gm granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 265 gm all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

For the lemon filling:

• 400 gm granulated sugar
• 46 gm all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 240 ml lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F or 163°C.

Line a pan with parchment paper and leave some extra on the sides to lift up the finished bars with. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt together. Mix well. Then add the flour and mix thoroughly until fully combined. The dough is going to be thick.

Firmly press this mixture into the prepared pan. The crust should sit evenly all over. Use the back of a small bowl to press it down and make it even. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges are browned. Then remove from the oven. With a fork, poke holes all over the warm crust. But don't make holes all teh way through. Just a little deep, so that the filling can rush in and the lemon bars will hold better. Set aside.

In a bowl, sift the sugar and flour. Mix. Then add the eggs and lemon juice and mix until fully combined. Now pour this filling onto the warm crust. Bake for about 25 minutes. The filling should be set and not jiggle anymore. Then remove from the oven and let it sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. Then put them in the fridge for another 2 hours.

Then pull up the parchment paper from the extra bit you had kept at the start. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into slices or squares. Serve chilled.

Leftover lemon bars can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Lemon bars can also be made ahead and frozen for 3 months. Make sure they are covered in aluminum foil or plastic wrap before freezing. Before using, thaw overnight in the fridge and add the desired toppings before serving.

Notes, tips and tricks:

It’s important to sift the flour and sugar, as directed in the recipe. If you don't sift it, it won't incorporate fully with the lemon filling. Sifting is a great way of avoiding flour lumps. However, if you don't have a sifter, that's fine too. Just make sure your flour is properly mixed in and that there’s proper integration of ingredients at every step.

For the lemon juice, it's best to squeeze fresh lemon juice directly. Or you can use another citrus like grape, orange or lime. If the citrus has a natural sweetness, you can use slightly less sugar. But don't reduce the sugar too much, since it helps the lemon bar in holding shape and structure. Along with eggs, the sugar is responsible for the basic shape of the bars.

Before using the lemon juice and the eggs, let them sit out for some time and come to room temperature. This allows them to mix in more easily with the flour and sugar.

When baking, use a glass pan if possible. With metal, there will be a slight metallic flavor in the lemon bars. If you don't have glass, even ceramic works fine.

Don't panic if you notice air bubbles on your baked lemon bars. Or, there might be an entire layer of white. These are air bubbles. These are completely normal and nothing to worry about. Sometimes your lemon bars will have them and other times they won't. Irrespective of whether they are there or not, the lemon bars are going to taste exactly the same. Also, to cover the physical, visible effect of the bubbles, just sprinkle some confectioners’ sugar on top, and you're good to go.