Lemon Bars
Bright, zingy lemon bars with a buttery shortbread crust and a tangy lemon filling, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- For the Crust
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (66g) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, melted
- For the Filling
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (600g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 mL) fresh lemon juice
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving some overhang to make lifting the bars out easier later.
- Whisk together 2 1/2 cups of the flour with the powdered sugar and salt, then pour in the melted butter and mix until fully combined — a stand mixer with the paddle attachment works well here too, and a dash of vanilla can be added at this step if you'd like.
- Sprinkle the dough evenly into the lined pan and press it down firmly into a flat, even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until it turns a light golden color.
- While the crust bakes, add the sugar to a food processor along with the zest of the three lemons. Pulse until the zest is fully incorporated and the sugar takes on a light yellow color — no processor? Just mince the zest by hand and mix it into the sugar in a bowl or bag instead.
- Add the lemon sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to a large bowl and mix well. If you'd rather sift, that works too, but pick out any zesty sugar clumps first so they don't clog the sifter.
- Pour in the fresh lemon juice and add the eggs, then mix thoroughly until the filling is completely smooth and combined, with no streaks of egg remaining.
- Pour the filling directly over the warm crust and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even baking.
- Remove from the oven and let the bars cool at room temperature for an hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours — don't worry if they still look slightly underset when they come out of the oven, since they firm up considerably as they cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar and cut into bars using a clean, sharp, damp knife, wiping and re-wetting the blade between each cut for the cleanest edges.
Chef's Note: Fresh lemon juice genuinely makes a difference here, since lemons are the entire point of the dessert — bottled juice tastes flatter and noticeably less bright by comparison. Pulsing the zest with the sugar before it goes into the filling releases the lemon oils into the sugar itself, which spreads that citrus flavor much more evenly through the finished bars than simply stirring in zest at the end.
The long chill isn't optional so much as essential — the filling needs that time in the fridge to fully set into clean, sliceable bars rather than a soft, wobbly layer. These freeze beautifully for up to three months; just cut and freeze the bars on a tray first, then wrap them individually, and dust with fresh powdered sugar right before serving.
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