Lemon shortbread bars are a thick layer of buttery shortbread topped with a tart lemon curd filling, dusted with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Lemon Bars
Lemon bars evolved from two English recipes: shortbread and lemon curd. Combining the two into a bar form didn’t evolve until the 20th century. Lemon bars started to become become popular in U.S. in the 60’s and 70’s and still remain popular today to make these a timeless recipe.
I found numerous versions of lemon bars in my vintage recipe collection containing various ingredients such as coconut, nuts and different glazes and toppings. Some recipes even contained lemon food coloring to make the lemon curd more vibrant. However, most recipes like this one stay true to the classic style of the shortbread and lemon curd filing. Early bar recipes were also called squares and it wasn’t until the mid 20th century when the term bars was regularly used.
About this Recipe
This particular recipe for lemon shortbread bars evolved from my one of my Grandma’s recipe collections and dates to the 1970’s. Every day, she would listen to a kitchen radio show and would write down recipes from the show into spiral notebooks. I inherited some of these notebooks and I love reading through them and finding recipes like this one.
I updated the crust for these bars to align it with the traditional roots of this recipe: the English shortbread by using only butter, flour and sugar in the crust rather than powdered sugar as many recipes do. I think the thick shortbread crust really sets these bars apart. There is also plenty of lemon flavor in the curd filling as these bars contain lemon juice, zest and extract. The top is then dusted with a fine layer of powdered sugar to top it off.
Tips for Lemon Bars
- Do not allow the lemon curd layer to brown
- You will know when the lemon bars are set, as there should be no “jiggle” when the pan is moved
- Store chilled and only dust with powdered sugar immediately before serving. Some of the powdered sugar may dissolve after refrigerating – this is normal. Add more powdered sugar if needed.
- Let the chilled bars sit at room temperature about 15 minutes prior to cutting, or the shortbread crust can be difficult to remove from the pan.
- These bars will keep refrigerated, sealed in an airtight container for up to 72 hours. They do not freeze well.
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Lemon Shortbread Bars
Equipment
- mixing bowls of various sizes
- standard 9"x13" baking dish
- citrus zester
- citrus juicer or fork
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp + zest of one lemon, divided
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine the butter, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 cups all-purpose flour in mixing bowl and mix until sand-like texture.
- Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13” pan and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly while preparing the filling mixture.
- To prepare filling mixture, whisk together remaining flour and sugar in large mixing bowl.
- Zest the remainder of the entire lemon and add to mixture, followed by eggs, lemon juice and lemon extract. Mix until combined.
- Pour over partially baked crust and return to oven for an additional 18-20 minutes (watch very carefully and do NOT allow the lemon mixture to brown). The center should not jiggle at all when the pan is moved.
- Allow to cool on wire rack. When cooled, chill at least two hours before dusting with powdered sugar to serve. Allow to sit at room temperature about 15 minutes prior to cutting into bars.
Notes
- Let the bars sit at room temperature about 15 minutes prior to cutting, or the shortbread crust can be difficult to remove from the pan
- Store chilled and only dust with powdered sugar immediately before serving. Some of the powdered sugar may dissolve after refrigerating – this is normal. Add more powdered sugar if needed.
- These bars will keep refrigerated, sealed in an airtight container for up to 72 hours. They do not freeze well.