Easy Lemon Bars {Lemon Squares}

The best easy lemon bars recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. These lemon squares are a classic, old fashioned dessert. They have a buttery shortbread cookie crust with sweet and tangy lemon curd filling.

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors. It is so bright, refreshing, tangy, and if a flavor could be a feeling, this would be joy. This Lemon Meringue Pie and Lemon Pound Cake {With Cake Mix} will also help you fill your lemon cravings.

Jump to:

• Key ingredients for lemon squares
• How to make easy lemon bars recipe from scratch?
• Topping options
• Variations
• Tips and techniques
• Recipe FAQs
• Storage
• More lemon desserts
• Recipe

Key ingredients for lemon squares

• Butter- This should be unsalted and at room temperature.
• Flour- All-purpose is best.
• Sugar- Both, granulated and powdered sugar, are used in different components of this recipe.
• Lemon- Use fresh ripe lemons. The juice and zest are both used.
• Eggs- These should be large and at room temperature.

How to make easy lemon bars recipe from scratch?

1. Make cookie dough- By mixing together butter, flour, powdered sugar (Image 1).
2. Spread dough- In a square pan (Image 2 and 3).
3. Chill in fridge- For 15 minutes.
4. Bake it- Until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven- And let it cool.
6. Make lemon curd filling- By mixing together lemon juice, zest, eggs, sugar, flour (Image 4,5,6).
7. Pour filling- On top of the shortbread crust (Image 7).
8. Bake again- Until the top is almost set.
9. Remove from oven- And let it cool completely.
10. Chill overnight- And top with a dusting of powdered sugar (Image 8).

Topping options

• Buttercream frosting- Use store bought or this much better, homemade American Buttercream Frosting Recipe.
• Lemon frosting- Who can have too much lemon? Add this Lemon Frosting (Lemon Buttercream) .
• Whipped cream- Make Homemade Whipped Cream or use store- bought version if you are short on time.
• Coconut cream- This Healthy Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting would make a great dairy free addition.
• White chocolate drizzle- Melt white chocolate and drizzle it over these bars for additional sweetness.
• White chocolate ganache- Use this Easy Chocolate Ganache {2 Ingredients} recipe, but use white chocolate chips instead of semisweet chocolate chips.
• Jam and preserves- Add fruit jams and preserves such as blueberry, Homemade Strawberry Jam, cherry, or blackberry.
• Coconut- Top these bars with sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut. It adds a lovely texture and flavor.

Variations

• No bake version- Make the crust as directed. Then, mix together lemon pudding mix (mixed according to the package) and 8 oz of cool whip. Pour it into the crust and let is set in the fridge for up to 2 hours or over-night.
• Add blueberries- Add some fresh blueberries to the curd mixture or you can swirl in some blueberry jam.
• Make a Meyer lemon version- Use Meyer lemons for their vibrant flavor.
• Try other crusts- Use this Graham Cracker Crust (No Bake) or this Oreo Cookie Crust (No Bake). You can also use a pretzel crust for a sweet and salty variation.
• Add extracts- Such as almond, vanilla, or even lavender.
• Add shredded coconut in the crust or lemon mixture- This adds texture and sweetness.
• Mix in other berries- Such as fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or even blackberries.
• Add lavender- Don't add a lot or else it will taste and smell like soap.
• Use other citrus juice and zest- Like grapefruit, blood orange, regular oranges, or limes.

Tips and techniques

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best-Because it has the freshest, strongest, flavor and I highly recommend it.
• How do I know the these bars are done baking? They are done when the top is almost set and the center jiggles slightly.
• Line pan with parchment paper- This is very important because it prevents the bars from sticking to the bottom of the pan, and makes for super easy clean-up.
• What size pan to use? I use and recommend an 8x8 inch pan. This is the size pan that this recipe is designed for.
• Let the crust cool before filling with curd- This ensures that the curd filling doesn't seep into the crust and make it soggy and runny.
• You must chill these bars- Do not skip this step because it allows the filling to set further. If you skip this step, the bars will be runny and it would be very hard to slice.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 1 week.
• Freeze- These can be wrapped well in saran wrap or foil and then placed in a freezer bag or container for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and enjoy.
• Make ahead- These can be made 1-2 days in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

More lemon desserts

• Lemon Cake Balls {Cake Truffles}
• Lemon Bundt Cake {With Cake Mix}
• Lemon Fudge {2 Ingredients}
• Easy Lemon Cookies
• Lemon Cupcakes {With Cream Cheese Frosting}
• Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

Recipe