The traditional lemon bar is taken to a whole new level by the vibrant lemon flavor coupled with poppy seeds. They taste lively, fresh, and delightfully sweet. In order to add a splash of color and a bit more eye appeal, I like to include black poppy seeds.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 50 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 bars |
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Combine butter and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cardamom; mix until just combined. Stir in poppy seeds until evenly distributed. Press dough evenly into the prepared baking dish with floured hands.
- Bake crust in the preheated oven until edges are just starting to brown, about 18 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, combine sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until just combined.
- As soon as the crust comes out of the oven, pour the filling into it and return to the oven.
- Bake until filling is puffy and lightly browned around the edges, about 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely before cutting into 16 squares. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 193 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 50 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 91 mg |
| Sugars | 21 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |