Description
Bright and tangy lemon bars with a buttery shortbread crust, perfect for sharing at gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz butter (1 cup/2 sticks), softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2¼ cups superfine/caster sugar (or granulated sugar)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (160°C) and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.
- Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Sift flour and salt into the butter mixture and mix until blended.
- Press the mixture into the prepared pan evenly.
- Dock the dough with a fork and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Whisk eggs and yolks in another bowl, add sugar and flour until smooth, then add lemon zest and juice.
- Pour lemon filling over the crust and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the center is set.
- Cool completely at room temperature for 2 hours, then chill in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours.
- Lift the bars from the pan using the parchment overhang and dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Notes
Use fresh lemons for the best flavor. Chilling the bars helps achieve cleaner cuts when slicing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 80mg