Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
A blind-baked shortbread base under a puckery custard, cut into squares that hold their shape at room temperature.
- Serves
- 16 bars
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Written
Method
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Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
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Pulse the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor, then add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand.
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Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake until the edges turn pale gold, about 18 minutes.
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While the crust bakes, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, zest, and salt until smooth.
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Pour the filling over the hot crust and return to the oven until the center is set and no longer jiggles when the pan is nudged, 18 to 22 minutes.
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Cool completely on a rack, then chill at least 2 hours before lifting out by the parchment and cutting into squares.
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Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
The flour in the filling is doing real work — skip it and the bars weep on the plate instead of holding a clean edge when cut. Bake the crust until it’s actually gone pale gold, not just set; a pale, underbaked base turns soggy under the wet filling within a day.
Chill the bars fully before cutting, and wipe the knife between cuts for squares instead of streaks. A few tablespoons of the lemon juice can be swapped for lime if you want something sharper.