Lemon Bars
Tart lemon curd set over shortbread — sunshine, squared and dusted.
Ingredients
- 3 Lemon
- 180 g Flour
- 120 g Butter
- 220 g Sugar
- 3 Egg
- ¼ tsp Salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Line a square tin with parchment.
- Rub the butter into most of the flour, a little of the sugar, and the salt until sandy.
- Press the sandy mixture firmly into the lined tin.
- Bake the shortbread base until pale gold, about 18 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar, the lemon zest and juice, and the last spoonfuls of flour until smooth.
- Pour the lemon filling over the hot base as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Bake until the filling is just set with the faintest wobble, about 18 minutes.
- Cool the bars completely before cutting into squares — patience pays in clean edges.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Lemon Bars
Lemon bars are an American baking staple, the sort of tray bake that shows up at potlucks, bake sales, and holiday cookie tins across the country. They are built in two distinct layers: a buttery shortbread base, made by rubbing cold butter into flour until sandy and pressing it firm, and a tart lemon curd poured over the top and baked until just set. The defining move here is pouring the lemon filling onto the base while the base is still hot from the oven, which helps the two layers bond instead of sliding apart when you cut them.
The appeal is the sharp, almost bracing lemon tang against the rich, crumbly shortbread and a snowfall of powdered sugar on top — sweet, but with real acidity to keep it from cloying. The filling should be baked only to the faintest wobble so it sets to a soft, sliceable curd rather than a rubbery custard. Cooling them completely before cutting is what gives clean, sharp-edged squares. They keep well and travel well, which is much of why they have stayed a fixture of home baking.
Lemon Bars: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Lemon Bars?
A serving has about 288 calories — 4.5g protein, 40.1g carbs, 12.7g fat, 0.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Lemon Bars gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Flour. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Lemon Bars dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Lemon Bars take to make?
About 65 minutes start to finish, but only around 14 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Lemon Bars make?
This recipe makes 9 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.