I have always loved lemon bars. These bars, however, have little resemblance to the bars I loved as a child. These are far more tart and more lemony than any other I have tasted. They are also far more delicious. Don’t worry my mom’s not offended – she introduced me to this recipe.
Transforming a traditional lemon bar to an uber lemon bar is simple. You add much more fresh lemon juice. The other great thing is this recipe also uses a 9 x 13 pan instead of the usual 8 x 8, which means even more of a good thing.
I love the sugar crust that appears on the top too
The bottom crust is magical. You blend the ingredients together and pat them into the bottom of the pan. It looks so dry and I always think I must have put in too much flour. Every time I think - this is never going to come together to form a crust, but it works every time. It’s important to let the crust cool before you fill it. One time I was in a rush and skipped that step. Note I only did it once. When they baked the crust floated to the top. Those upside down lemon bars tasted great they were mess to cut, so be sure to let that crust cool.
dusted with sugar and ready to eat
uber lemon bars
for the crust
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cups (1 1/2 stick) butter chilled and cut into pieces
Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, and butter. Blend with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gently pat into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish and bake 20 – 25 minutes. You want the edges to be a little golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
the filling
3 cups granular sugar
6 large eggs
zest of 3 lemons
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
1/2 cup flour
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a bowl whisk together eggs and sugar together. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Sift in flour and stir to combine. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake until filling is set, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. If you like, you can top with a dusting of powdered sugar, or top with a layer of frosting.
Yummy! Those look delicious. Can’t wait to try it out
These lemon bars look delicious!
I’ve never tried this but I really want to try to make some…
Yours look inspiring!
Nicole
Thanks so much. I think you will like them.
Leonor
Thank you. I’m anxious to make your brioche and the marble bread too.
My husband loves lemon bars so I’ll have to try this out. Is that 1/2 *cup* of powdered sugar? I’m thinking 1/2 lb. would be a bit extreme for a pastry crust lol.
Thanks Michelle. Yes it is 1/2 cup of powdered sugar for the crust. Thanks for catching my missing “cup”.
The lemon bars look yummy. How would they come out using a different kind of pan like a metal pan with parchment paper around the sides so that the lemon acid does not interact with the metal. I have a few metal pans of various sizes and no glass bakeware of that size. Thanks for your reply. And thank your Mom for finding a updated recipe.
Congratulations. I am so very proud of you.
Thanks Ivy.
I think my mom used to make her old lemon bars in a 8 x 8 metal pan. Lining with parchment would certainly reduce any chances of reaction with the lemon. (and always makes cutting bars so much easier) You might want to keep a close eye on them while cooking the crust. It may cook a little quicker in the metal pan, especially if it’s a dark metal. You may even want to cook the crust at the lower temp (300 degrees) as well.
As an experiment you could try setting the pan on top of cookie sheet as it’s baking. This might provide a bit of insulation to keep the crust from overcooking.
Good luck. Let me know how they turn out for you.
Andy
you missed the happy dance
i LOVE lemon bars. i think they’re a great treat to enjoy during this transition from summer to fall