Sunny Lemon Bars Recipe

A cross between lemon curd and lemon meringue pie.

Overhead image showing sliced lemon bar squares topped with powdered sugar on a marble countertop.

Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Blitzing the crust ingredients in a food processor coats the flour in fat, minimizing gluten development for a light and tender result.
  • Cooking on the stovetop allows for precise control of the custard's final temperature, preventing soft or runny bars.
  • Straining removes lumpy bits, keeping the custard silky-smooth.
  • A brief stint in the oven smooths the custard into an even layer with a glossy top.

Lemon bars occupy a quirky piece of culinary real estate, a sun-drenched lot on Lemon Lane, right between meringue pie and a fancy tarte au citron. It's a great part of town, where the rent is cheap and the neighbors friendly, quick to loan a cup of sugar to those in need.

Good thing, too, because lemon bars aren't snuggled down under a fluffy blanket of meringue, so they need a lot of sugar to balance their sour filling. That makes them sweeter than pie, and a little more custardy, though not to the extent of a yolky curd; unlike the French tarts next door, lemon bars aren't so rich.

Maybe that's why so many culinary architects err on the side of pragmatism, building lemon bars from whole eggs alone. It's a nice thought, but it's a softer foundation that's inclined to slowly ooze past the property line, so to speak, making for a messy snack. Some combat that problem with a thinner (some might say stingy) layer of filling, while others forge ahead and bake their bars as thoroughly as any cake, turning the custard all lumpy and weird. Then there are those who resort to a spoonful of cornstarch, accepting a murky custard as the price of stability.

But the lemon bars of my childhood were of a different sort, thick slabs as yellow as a daffodil and clear like a spring afternoon—no cloudy cornstarch in sight! I'm not sure what church lady I should credit for impressing me so, but that's the image that always comes to mind. With a great deal of trial and error, I've found that the trick to thick lemon bars without cornstarch is making the custard from equal parts whole eggs and yolks, by weight. That ratio offers enough extra yolks for structure, without turning the custard into an ultra-dense curd.

The Perfect Lemon Bar Crust

Of course, perfecting the filling would be for naught if my crust was but a pasty afterthought. And, while a good crust should be able to support the custard for days without devolving into a pile of mush, it should also serve as more than an edible plate. To that end, my version is barely sweetened, speckled with lemon zest, and buttery but light—like a classic sugar cookie crossed with lemon shortbread.

For a hybrid texture like that, I have to avoid the puff factor associated with creaming butter and sugar, while also steering clear of chewy eggs. (If you'll recall Cookie Science 101, eggless doughs are more tender.) Those adjustments mean there is no friction nor liquid ingredients to help dissolve granulated sugar, a condition that calls for powdered sugar—once my greatest nemesis, but now a trusted friend.

Pulsing together butter, sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor for lemon bar crust.

Vicky Wasik

By nature, the dough is better suited to a food processor, which can tear through cold butter to coat the flour in fat (thus shortening the potential length of each gluten strand). Since it all comes together lightning-fast, the butter stays cold, making for a dry meal that's more Dippin' Dots than dough, easily sprinkled and smooshed into a parchment-lined anodized-aluminum pan.

Choosing the Right Baking Pan

Yeah, that's a lot of adjectives to describe a baking pan, but they're all important. We'll get to the parchment later, but as for the rest? Well, non-aluminum options, like glass and ceramic, retain heat for ages, which can lead to overcooked lemon bars. Plus, their dimensions tend to make the bars too thin. Metal cake pans cool far more rapidly, but few folks own a set of stainless steel pans, and that's where anodized aluminum comes in.

It may not be a term you're actively aware of, but anodization is what makes iPad minis look so boss, and why certain lightweight cake pans never rust. Anodization is a manufacturing process that sends an electrical charge through a sheet of metal while it soaks in an acidic bath of electrolytes. The result of this, shall we say, shock therapy is a metal so chill, it won't even react when confronted by acidic liquids looking for a fight. Without anodization, citric acid + unfinished aluminum = janky, old-tin-can-flavored lemon bars. Mmmm, boy!

A Simple Stovetop Filling

With the crust in the right pan and baking to a golden brown, I prepare the filling on the stove. Again, it's vitally important that everything from the pot to the whisk be nonreactive (in those cases, that typically means stainless steel), but it's otherwise dead easy to prepare. Just combine the eggs and yolks, add the lemon zest and sugar, then whisk until smooth.

Photo collage showing whisking eggs, sugar, and lemon zest together in a saucier on the stovetop to make lemon bar filling.

Vicky Wasik

Yeah, that's right, straight in the pan—no tempering required! Ladling hot liquids while whisking with one hand is like having to rub your head and pat your tummy—annoying at best. Doubly so, considering the extra dishes. Tempering is reasonable when dealing with eggs and hot liquids, which are inherent to any infusion (like vanilla steeped in milk). But, when combining eggs with room-temperature ingredients, like fresh lemon juice, there really isn't any need so long as everything is warmed up slowly over low heat.

Once you've knocked off the chill, you can turn up the dial and let a digital thermometer be your guide. While egg yolks and whites normally coagulate at around 140 and 150°F (60 and 66°C), respectively, sugar delays that process by about 10 degrees. To get a custard that's thick enough to slice, it needs to go a little higher still, to about 170°F (77°C).

Photo collage showing whisking lemon juice into egg-sugar mixture, cooking the mixture on the stovetop, and then straining into a parchment-lined baking pan for lemon bars.

Vicky Wasik

Cooking on the stovetop allows for precise control over the custard's final texture, which is vastly preferable to jiggling a hot pan in the oven and wondering exactly how wobbly "wobbly" should be (or else trying to test the relatively shallow filling layer with a Thermapen and hoping you don't hit the crust).

Stovetop cooking also means I can strain the custard as it goes over the crust, eliminating coagulated lumps of chalazae and bits of zest that have already given up their lemony aroma. After that, I cover my lemon bars with foil to trap steam, then toss them in the oven, where a few minutes of warmth will spread the filling to a perfectly level, mirror-smooth finish.

Necessary? No. But it's a simple touch that makes lemon bars as stunning as any French tart.

Cooled and sliced lemon bars on a white countertop.

Vicky Wasik

Finishing and Cutting Lemon Bars

Once cooled to room temperature, the lemon bars are chilled and transferred to a cutting board (hence the aforementioned parchment to pull them loose). You might be tempted to file that under "fussy, cheffy steps I don't care about," but wait! Cutting the bars in the pan will a) dull your knife and b) scratch your pan, c) making future cakes or crusts more likely to stick and d) ruining the anodized surface, which e) negates its nonreactive properties, meaning, oh, f) your future lemon bars will taste like a dirty penny.

Powdered sugar-dusted cut lemon bars on a white countertop.

Vicky Wasik

Besides, with a cutting board, you'll be able to slice 'n' dice the bars into the most gorgeously geometric squares. Pack them up for picnics and potlucks (the high-sugar, high-acid bars will do fine at room temperature), or serve them straight from the fridge, cold and refreshing like lemonade.

Like any self-respecting American, I finish my lemon bars with a dusting of powdered sugar. It may not add much beyond a hint of sweet against the sour filling, but it's hard to overstate the visual appeal—a field of flawless white to make edges look more crisp and the custard more radiant.

If powdered sugar isn't usually your cup of tea, you may appreciate the mellower sweetness of organic brands; just be aware that the organic sugar will begin to melt within 15 minutes. Conventional brands taste a little chalkier, but they'll widen that window to about a half hour.

Sliced lemon bars topped with powdered sugar, lemon chantilly, and chopped pistachios.

Vicky Wasik

Whatever you choose, don't forget to save your used-up lemon rinds! Even when zested, juiced, cut, and otherwise abused, they're the basis of my no-cook fresh lemon syrup. It's great to have for whipping up everything from cocktails to vinaigrette, but it's also the key to a few citrusy garnishes that'll make the neighbors jealous: lemon chantilly and crispy candied pistachios.

Together, they make a community of citrus anyone would want to live in...or eat.

March 2016

Recipe Details

Sunny Lemon Bars Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 55 mins
Active 30 mins
Chilling Time 60 mins
Total 2 hrs 5 mins
Serves 16 servings
Makes 16 squares

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 4 1/2 ounces (1 cup; 130g) all-purpose flour

  • 2 ounces (1/2 cup; 60g) powdered sugar, preferably organic

  • 1/4 teaspoon (1g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use the same weight or half as much by volume

  • 1/8 ounce (1 tablespoon; 4g) freshly grated lemon zest

  • 4 ounces (1 stick; 115g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch dice

For the Custard:

  • 9 1/2 ounces (1 1/3 cups; 270g) granulated sugar

  • 3 large eggs, cold

  • 4 3/4 ounces (1/2 cup; 135g) egg yolks, from about 8 large eggs

  • 1/4 ounce (1 packed tablespoon; 8g) freshly grated lemon zest

  • Pinch of kosher salt

  • 11 ounces (1 1/3 cups; 310g) lemon juice, from about 8 large lemons (see notes)

For Garnishing:

Directions

  1. For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C), and line an 8- by 8- by 2-inch anodized-aluminum baking pan with a piece of parchment paper long enough to overhang the pan's edges. Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and butter in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to form a dry but pebbly meal, about 12 one-second pulses. Scatter into the prepared baking pan, press into an even layer, and bake until pale gold and firm, about 30 minutes. Use hot or set aside until needed, up to 48 hours at room temperature if tightly covered.

    Photo collage showing lining baking pan with parchment, adding lemon bar crust to pan, and pressing crust into even layer.

    Vicky Wasik

  2. For the Custard: Combine sugar, whole eggs, yolks, lemon zest, and salt in a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan, then whisk in lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly but not vigorously, until warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until thick and steaming-hot (custard should register 170°F (77°C) on an instant-read thermometer), about 8 minutes. Immediately strain into the prepared crust, smooth into an even layer, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until smooth and firm, about 10 minutes. Remove foil and cool to room temperature, then re-cover and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 1 hour.

    Photo collage showing whisking lemon bar filling ingredients together in a saucepan, cooking the custard to 170F, and straining over the crust in a baking pan.

    Vicky Wasik

  3. To Serve: Loosen chilled custard from sides of pan with a bench or butter knife, then carefully tug loose and lift using overhanging parchment and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 two-inch squares, rinsing the knife clean between each slice. Serve plain, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, or topped with Lemon Chantilly and Crispy Citrus-Candied Pistachios. Store up to 1 week in an airtight container.

    Lemon bars topped with powdered sugar, lemon chantilly, and chopped candied pistachios.

    Vicky Wasik

Special Equipment

8- by 8- by 2-inch anodized-aluminum baking pan, food processor, 3-quart stainless steel saucepan or saucier, stainless steel whisk, fine-mesh stainless steel strainer, instant-read thermometer

Notes

This recipe works best with the bright acidity of traditional supermarket lemons, not mellow Meyers, in order to balance the sweetness of the custard. Be sure to save the leftover rinds, which form the basis of fresh lemon syrup.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
218 Calories
10g Fat
29g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 218
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 12%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 155mg 52%
Sodium 80mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 21g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 9mg 45%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 82mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)