Lemon Bars are the recipe that Lucia has been bringing to every Mother’s Day brunch, every baby shower, every spring gathering, and every bake sale for the better part of twenty years because they disappear from the tray faster than anything else on the table without a single exception.
She presses the buttery vanilla shortbread crust into the glass pan and parbakes it until just golden at the edges, pokes it with a fork all over the surface so the lemon filling has something to grip, pours the thick and creamy lemon curd filling over the warm crust, and bakes until the center is just set. The powdered sugar dusted over the cooled squares from a fine sieve produces the most beautiful and completely irresistible finished bars she has ever made.
Lemon Bars are the most universally beloved spring dessert bar and the absolute perfect contribution to any Mother’s Day brunch table. Seven simple ingredients produce a result that is far more impressive and extraordinary than the short ingredient list suggests. A soft and buttery vanilla shortbread crust that is pre-baked for stability, topped with a thick and substantial lemon curd filling made from fresh lemon juice, eggs, sugar, and flour, baked to perfection and served chilled with a generous dusting of confectioners sugar. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful Mother’s Day brunch recipes and easy spring treats from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Lemon Bars Recipe
This Lemon Bars recipe is the most universally crowd-pleasing spring bake that serves 24 people from a single 9 by 13-inch pan, requires only two mixing bowls and one baking pan, and disappears from every Mother’s Day brunch table, baby shower, and bake sale before any other dessert. The vanilla extract in the shortbread crust is the ingredient that most distinguishes these bars from others and most people cannot identify what makes them taste so specifically and completely wonderful. Two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract added to a buttery shortbread crust is not a standard lemon bar practice and it is the secret that makes the crust taste so extraordinarily warm and fragrant alongside the bright and tangy lemon filling.
The thick and substantial lemon filling that is the most distinctive element of this recipe is achieved through the correct ratio of eggs, sugar, and flour working together. The flour provides structure that prevents the filling from being too watery or flimsy. The eggs set the filling into a firm but softly yielding custard. And the generous quantity of fresh lemon juice provides the bright and genuine lemon flavor that makes these the most completely and authentically citrus-forward bars imaginable. Our Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes make the most beautifully bright and individually portioned companion for a complete and vibrant Mother’s Day brunch dessert spread alongside these lemon bars.
Ingredients Needed for This Lemon Bars Recipe
For the Shortbread Crust:
- 1 cup (226g) Unsalted Butter, melted
- ½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp (265g) All-Purpose Flour, spooned and leveled
For the Lemon Curd Filling:
- 2 cups (400g) Granulated Sugar
- 6 tbsp (46g) All-Purpose Flour
- 6 large Eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) Fresh Lemon Juice (from about 4 lemons)
- 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest, optional
- Confectioners Sugar for dusting
How to Make This Lemon Bars Recipe
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and all four sides of a 9 by 13-inch glass baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides to use as handles for lifting the cooled bars cleanly out of the pan before slicing. Set aside. Always use a glass pan rather than a metal pan for lemon bars. The citric acid in the lemon juice reacts with metal pans and can impart a subtle metallic flavor to the filling. Glass is completely neutral.
For the shortbread crust, mix the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the flour and stir until a thick dough forms. Press the dough firmly and evenly into the prepared parchment-lined pan. Achieving an even thickness across the entire crust is important for even baking. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden.
Remove the crust from the oven. While it is still warm, use a fork to poke holes all over the surface of the crust without poking all the way through to the bottom. This step anchors the lemon filling to the crust during the second bake and prevents the filling from sliding off the crust when the bars are cut and lifted. Set aside while you prepare the filling, cara mia.
For the lemon curd filling, sift the granulated sugar and flour together into a large bowl. Whisking them through a sifter distributes the flour evenly through the sugar and prevents any flour lumps from appearing in the finished filling. Whisk in the 6 eggs until fully combined and smooth. Add the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until completely combined.
Pour the filling immediately over the warm pre-baked crust. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes until the center of the filling is relatively set and does not jiggle significantly when the pan is tapped with an oven mitt. The center can still feel slightly soft to the touch when the pan is removed from the oven as it will firm further as it cools.
Allow to cool at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, then refrigerate for an additional 1 to 2 hours until thoroughly chilled. Lift the entire slab out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang. Dust generously with confectioners sugar through a fine mesh sieve. Cut into squares using a sharp knife wiped clean between every single cut for the neatest and most professional-looking bars.
How to Serve This Lemon Bars Recipe
Serve chilled directly from the refrigerator for the most substantial and cleanly sliced lemon bars. The chilled setting temperature allows the lemon curd filling to hold its shape perfectly when cut and lifted to a plate without any softening or drooping.
These are one of the most beautiful and perfectly appropriate Mother’s Day brunch desserts imaginable. Arrange them on a white platter or tiered cake stand with a final dusting of powdered sugar just before the table is set and a few fresh lemon slices or fresh raspberries scattered alongside for the most beautiful and vibrant spring brunch presentation. Our Dole Whip Cupcakes with Pineapple Filling make a wonderfully tropical and individually portioned companion treat for a complete and vibrant spring Mother’s Day brunch dessert spread.
How to Store This Lemon Bars Recipe
Store cut lemon bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The lemon curd filling stays beautifully set and the shortbread crust stays firm throughout this storage period. Bring out of the refrigerator and dust with fresh confectioners sugar just before serving as the powdered sugar absorbs into the filling during refrigeration and loses its visual appeal.
To freeze, cut the completely cooled bars without the confectioners sugar topping and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour until individually solid then wrap each bar in plastic wrap or foil and store in a freezer container for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and dust with confectioners sugar before serving.
Tips to Make This Lemon Bars Recipe
Always use a glass baking pan rather than metal. This is the single most important equipment choice in this entire recipe and it is the one most commonly overlooked. Metal pans react with the acidic lemon juice filling and produce a faint but clearly detectable metallic aftertaste in the finished bars. A glass pan is completely chemically neutral with the lemon and produces the purest and most vibrant lemon flavor.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice from real lemons without exception. The quantity of lemon juice in this recipe is significant at one full cup and the difference between fresh-squeezed and bottled juice at this scale is dramatically and immediately noticeable in the finished flavor. Bottled juice produces a flat and vaguely chemical-tasting filling. Fresh juice produces a bright, clean, and perfectly vibrant lemon curd filling.
Helpful Notes for This Lemon Bars Recipe
White air bubbles on the surface of baked lemon bars are completely normal and nothing to be concerned about. They are the air from the eggs rising to the surface during baking and some batches have them and some do not depending on how vigorously the filling was whisked before baking. The bars taste completely identical regardless of whether the surface bubbles are present or not. A generous dusting of confectioners sugar covers any surface irregularities completely.
Poking holes in the warm pre-baked crust with a fork before adding the filling is a technique step that dramatically improves the adhesion between the shortbread crust and the lemon curd filling. Without this step, the filling can slide off the crust when bars are cut, making clean and neat slices difficult to achieve. The holes must go through the top surface but not all the way through the bottom of the crust.
Variation of This Lemon Bars Recipe
Maria made a version using fresh blood orange juice in place of the lemon juice for blood orange bars that were the most beautiful and dramatically colored deep ruby-pink bars with a sweet and more complex citrus flavor that was completely extraordinary. Teresa tried adding a teaspoon of fresh lemon zest to the shortbread crust dough alongside the vanilla extract for an extra dimension of lemon fragrance in the crust itself that made the finished bars taste even more completely and thoroughly citrus-forward.
For a gorgeous Mother’s Day gift presentation, cut the bars into elegant rectangular shapes rather than squares, arrange in a beautiful box lined with parchment and tissue, and deliver with a small card. These travel and gift beautifully when chilled and are one of the most thoughtful and completely wonderful homemade Mother’s Day gifts imaginable. Our Italian Lemon Cream Cake makes a beautifully elegant and equally lemon-forward companion for a complete and stunning Mother’s Day celebration dessert table.
FAQs About This Lemon Bars Recipe
Why are my lemon bars runny and not setting properly?
The two most common causes of runny lemon bars are underbaking and an insufficient quantity of flour in the filling. The filling must bake until it is no longer liquid in the center when the pan is tapped, approximately 22 to 26 minutes at 325°F. If the center still jiggles significantly like water the bars need more time. Also ensure you used the full 6 tablespoons of flour in the filling as it provides the structural thickening that produces a properly set and sliceable filling.
Can I halve this recipe for a smaller batch?
Yes. Halve all the ingredients and bake in a 9-inch square glass pan. Bake the crust for 16 to 18 minutes and the filled bars for approximately 20 minutes until the center no longer jiggles.
Can I make lemon bars ahead for Mother’s Day?
Yes and they are actually one of the best make-ahead Mother’s Day desserts because the chilling time is built into the recipe and the finished bars keep beautifully in the refrigerator for up to a week. Make them the day or evening before Mother’s Day, refrigerate overnight, and dust with confectioners sugar before serving for the most effortless and beautifully fresh result.
Conclusion
These Lemon Bars are the spring bake that disappears first from every Mother’s Day brunch table, every baby shower spread, and every bake sale without exception and for completely good reason. Buttery, bright, tangy, sweet, and completely extraordinary in every powdered sugar-dusted bite. We hope they bring the same delighted reaching hands and the same completely satisfied happy table to your Mother’s Day celebration that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa
Lemon Bars The Most Bright and Perfect Spring Treat for Mother’s Day Brunches
- Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes including chilling
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most bright and perfect Lemon Bars made with a buttery vanilla shortbread crust and a thick extra-creamy lemon curd filling from fresh lemon juice baked to perfect custard consistency and dusted with confectioners sugar. A completely easy and beautiful 7-ingredient Mother’s Day brunch treat that serves 24 people from one pan.
Ingredients
1 cup Unsalted Butter melted for crust
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar for crust
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups plus 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour spooned and leveled for crust
2 cups Granulated Sugar for filling
6 tbsp All-Purpose Flour for filling
6 large Eggs
1 cup Fresh Lemon Juice from about 4 lemons
2 tsp Fresh Lemon Zest optional
Confectioners Sugar for dusting
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 9×13-inch glass pan with parchment leaving overhang on two long sides.
2. Mix melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add flour and stir to form thick dough.
3. Press evenly into prepared pan.
4. Bake 20 to 22 minutes until edges just golden.
5. Poke holes all over warm crust surface with a fork without going through to bottom. Set aside.
6. Sift sugar and flour together in large bowl. Whisk in eggs until smooth.
7. Whisk in fresh lemon juice and lemon zest until combined.
8. Pour filling over warm crust immediately.
9. Bake 22 to 26 minutes until center is relatively set and barely jiggles when pan is tapped.
10. Cool at room temperature 2 hours then refrigerate 1 to 2 hours until chilled.
11. Lift out by parchment overhang. Dust generously with confectioners sugar.
12. Cut into squares wiping knife clean between cuts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 44 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 225
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 75mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
Keywords: lemon bars, lemon bars shortbread crust, Mother’s Day lemon bars, easy lemon bars recipe for brunch
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