These Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust are made with a creamy lemon custard filling baked on top of a buttery shortbread crust. They are refreshing, tangy and just sweet enough to enjoy all year long.
Lemon is one of those fruits that’s readily associated with refreshing drinks and desserts during hot summer, while available and ready to be made into something delicious all year long. These Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust are creamy, buttery, tangy and refreshing. They are the perfect summer desserts that can also brighten up a gloomy winter day.
The shortbread crust in these Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust is almost exactly the same as these Classic Shortbread Cookies, just slightly less sweet to balance out the sweet lemon custard on top. And the great bonus is that it is perfectly buttery. The lemon custard on top is creamy and tangy just like this Lemon Curd, but baked into a bar with just the right amount of sweetness without taking away from the tanginess of the lemon.
I can assure you that you won’t go wrong with a lemon dessert anytime of the year. But these Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust in particular will be the perfect addition to your dessert menu all summer long (and all year long). I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as we did over here.
More Refreshing Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Cookies
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 pinch kosher salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter - room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Filling
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 big pinch kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Powder sugar for serving
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F and butter (or spray with cooking oil) an 8”x8” square baking pan, line the pan with a long strip of parchment paper and let the excess hang over the side.
- In a small bowl, add flour and salt, and thoroughly combine with a whisk.
- In the stand mixer bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a paddle attachment until light in color.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until a dough ball forms.
- Dump the dough into the previously prepared baking pan and press it into an even layer.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes until lightly brown.
- Let cool on a wire rack while you prepare the lemon filling. Leave the oven on.
Prepare lemon filling
- In a medium mixing bowl with a spout (or a large measuring cup), add lemon zest and sugar and mix with a whisk to release lemon oil. The sugar will turn light yellow.
- Add eggs, lemon juice, salt and flour and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the filling is set.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
- Lift the lemon bar out of the baking pan using the parchment paper excess. Cut into 4 squares, then cut each square into 4 triangles. Dust with powder sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nildae
No me gusta como queda el crust, esperaba mejor consistencia. En cuanto al filling es muy bueno.
Flip Flop Filipino
Delicious and easy!
Pauline
Do you think this would work if I don’t have a stand mixer? :-/
Trang
You can use a hand mixer or a manual egg beater to beat the butter. Technically you can do it by hand but it would be more labor intensive. I wouldn’t give up just because no stand mixer. Back in the day, bakers get through it without one 😉
Marie
These bars look just sunshiny perfect. The texture of that lemon custard is amazing.
Trang
Thank you, they really do add lots of sunshine in a bite 🙂