Lemon bars are one of those things like Lost and Oprah that I know, in theory, I should love, but when it comes down to it, there’s something about them that I struggle with. 
And it doesn’t totally make sense–shortbread? Good. Lemon? Good. Powdered sugar? Good. But my problem is those stupid eggs. I’ve mentioned it again and again, but I really don’t like anything with any overly eggy flavor and that seems to be why I don’t love most lemon bars (or lemon meringue pie, for that matter). I do love, love, love Sara’s Creamy Lemon Bars because I think the cream cheese helps with the egginess, but regular lemon bars usually just make my throat close up.
Except for this recipe.
I don’t know if it’s the sweet, lemony glaze or if the proportions are just different enough from other lemon bar recipes or if the baking time is just a little shorter (thus avoiding the horror of overcooked eggs–seriously, stuff nightmares are made of!), but these are not only my favorite classic lemon bars, but the only classic lemon bars that I’ll eat. And I will eat way more of them than I need to, so if my local friends and neighbors suddenly find lemon bars on their doorsteps, you know where they came from!
First, you need to preheat the oven to 350. Then, for the shortbread crust, you’ll just need flour, powdered sugar, and butter. You’ll whisk your flour and powdered sugar together and then cut in the butter. A quick shortcut is to use a cheese grater to grate a very cold stick of butter right into your flour. Â Then it’s super easy to mix it up with your fingers!
And then transfer the mixture to a 9×13″ pan lightly coated with cooking spray.
Gently press the mixture into the pan so it’s even, and then bake it for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is light golden around the edges.
While the crust is in its last few minutes in the oven, use an electric mixer on high speed to mix together the filling ingredients: eggs, sugar, strained lemon juice, a little flour, and some baking powder.
Mix it for about 3 minutes or until it’s very, very pale yellow. Then pour the mixture over the warm crust…
Pop that baby back into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top is very light golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
When the bars are completely cool, whisk together a cup of powdered sugar with a few tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and then spread it over the cooled bars.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, cut into squares, rectangles, or triangles
(or hey, circles, parallelograms, or octagons if you’re feeling adventurous–who am I to stop you?!) You can sprinkle grated lemon zest or additional powdered sugar on top of the bars (although these are quite sweet already and more powdered sugar might be overkill). Prepare yourself for lots of love and compliments, even from people who claim to not love lemon (like my husband) or lemon bars (like me).
Glazed Lemon Bars
Recipe lightly adapted by Our Best Bites from The Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking
Crust
2 c. all-purpose flour (lightly spooned into the measuring cup and leveled with a knife)
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
Filling
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 c. freshly-squeezed lemon juice, strained of pulp and seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. white sugar
Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
3 tablespoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Whisk together the flour and powdered sugar and then cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is crumbly. Lightly press into the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden around the edges. Remove from oven.
During the last few minutes of the shortbread’s baking time, mix the eggs, lemon juice, flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for three minutes. The mixture should be frothy and very, very pale yellow. Pour the mixture over the warm crust and then return the pan to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. You might want to check the bars at 17-18 minutes to make sure the top isn’t getting too dark.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. When the bars are cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and then gently spread over the bars. Refrigerate for at least two hours and then cut into squares before serving. Makes about 36 bars.
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Questions & Reviews
I absolutely LOVE citrus flavored desserts. Sometimes even more than chocolate (I know… go ahead and gasp)! And traditional lemon bars are a favorite of mine because they remind me of my childhood. My Dad always made them because he was allergic to chocolate.
Don’t even get me started about Lost…
Love lemon bars! yum.
and now I have to stand up for my show. If you want answers, you were watching the wrong show. The finale showed us that the show was about relationships and redemption, not science fiction, not time travel, not polar bears, none of that mattered. They would have answered it if it mattered. We got lots more answers than the producers give credit for (Sun didn’t go back to 1977 because she wasn’t a candidate, everyone else was)…I have about 47 posts about LOST on my blog but my husband’s post about the finale sums it up best for me: http://emilyssomething.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-lost-finale.html
(and lots of the questions in that video are addressed, if you’re interested.)
Oh, I still have a soft spot in my heart for the show…but I do feel like a sucker for getting caught up in the details. And the cynic in me feels like they didn’t respect their viewers enough to think they could handle a show about love, redemption, and relationships, so they had to use these cheap, unanswered questions, suspense, and sci-fi elements to get people to come back every week. There are plenty of shows that I LOVE that are about redemption and relationships where I didn’t feel like I got played in the end.
I just read your post and I actually agree largely with what you said–in spite of the show’s flaws, I still loved the characters in the end (with the exception of Kate, but I never loved her) and ultimately, it was about them. The show was literally, though, and I’m not sure how they could have ended things differently, unless they had a very specific map from the beginning.
these look yummy, but you mentioned cream cheese and there is no cream cheese in the ingredient list. maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me since i just woke up
Phyllis–I was referring to these bars: https://ourbestbites.com/2008/04/creamy-lemon-bars/
🙂
I LOVE lemon bars, I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I have a question – where does the cream cheese come in? (mentioned in your write up). I love ALL your recipes – and so does my family! THANKS for sharing!
Julie- she was referring to the other recipe she linked, here:
https://ourbestbites.com/2008/04/creamy-lemon-bars/
I have been looking for dessert to make today, and I was even on your site last night, but I thought I’d check one last time…and you saved me! I am so doing these. Thank you thank you!!
just an update…i made them–maybe i could have cooked them a bit loger, but I was worried about overcooked egginess. I refrigerated them for a long time, but then we went to the party and they sat on the counter until after dinner…that was a mistake. they were good, but runny. but then I took the leftovers home a put them in the fridge for the night and then they were fabulous! not as tart as a traditional lemon bar, but good lemon flavor all the same. I also put a bit of raspberry glaze over the top and made them raspberry lemonade bars:) I think I will learn from my mistakes and make these again soon! Thanks!
Just yesterday my husband said he should make lemon bars to take to scouts tonight. Which means I’ll probably end up making them.
These are almost exactly like the ones we make. Soooo good and the only lemon bars I like. Love that they have the glaze too. Love that so much more than just powdered sugar and the choking as you inhale your first bite. No thank you!
I completely agree with you about Lost…so much time and such an unsatisfying ending! On another note, I just started making a few of your recipes and they are great! Thank you!