It’s tough to top a classic lemon bar, but we’ve done it! We kept the tender, buttery crust and bright filling of the original, and made a few improvements. For our luscious lemon layer, we employed a unique double-cooking method. Simmering first on the stovetop like lemon curd allows us to add butter, which balances the tart and sweet elements and adds a richer, smoother texture.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 24 bars |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 6 to 8 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides; spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- For the crust: Add the flour, cornstarch, confectioners’ sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 10 times until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, about 30 times. (The dough will not come together in one mass.) Sprinkle the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and lightly pat it down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
- For the filling: Combine the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk continuously over medium heat, occasionally scraping down the sides and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, until simmering and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter until combined.
- Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the crust and bake until just set, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
- Use the foil overhang to lift the bars from the pan. Remove the foil and slice into squares. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 234 |
| Total Fat | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 27 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 77 mg |
| Sodium | 74 mg |
Reviews
Great taste I was just curious how everyone stored their leftover lemon bars
So… I cooked the egg whites and… now I have EGGS in my lemon bars. Well, partially.
Has anyone received any response back regarding the amount of cornstarch stated in the recipe? It does seem like a lot. If anyone hears back (though that’s doubtful), can you please post their response. Thank you.
There isn’t a link here for questions. I wonder whose recipe this is? I really do not like their new website. The original one was so much better.
There isn’t a link here for questions. I wonder whose recipe this is? I really do not like their new website. The original one was so much better.
Great taste. Easy to make.
5 Star rating!
Wonderful!
The corn starch in the crust is way too much. Very dry!
Good flavor though the filling didn’t set completely even though we kept it in the over for a few more minutes. If you like tart flavors, you’ll really like this.
This recipe was amazing. The lemon bars were bitter with a little mix of sweet in there. My family loved them, overall a great recipe!!
I have made this recipe twice. I am giving this recipe 4 stars because the crust is just blah. However, the filling is fabulous! It gets a glossy texture when adding a cube of butter in at the end. It has the perfect amount of sweetness that allows the lemon tartness to shine through. The second time I made it I used a graham cracker crust and gave myself 5 stars!