Spare Spoons Kitchen
The Sweet Parlor · baking · make-ahead

Lemon Bars

A crisp, buttery shortbread crust topped with a bright, custardy lemon filling — tart and sweet, set firm enough to cut clean. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving. They travel well, keep 5 days in the fridge, and hold their shape in a container.

~1 hr 15 min total active 20 min crust bake 25 min filling bake 2 hr chill before cutting
Spoon cost
Effort ●●○○○ Time ●●○○○ Some Doing
Vegetarian
Barsfrom one 9×13 pan
16
Units

Ingredients

Pour the filling onto the crust while it's still hot — this helps the two layers bond and set together instead of separating when you cut. Don't let the crust cool first.

Easier, if you like

  • Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Curd (jam aisle or specialty grocery) for the filling — pour it over the baked crust and bake 15 minutes at 350°F to set. Saves making the filling from scratch. Look for it at Whole Foods, Target, or World Market.

Method

    Cook's notes

    Cut with a clean knife. Wipe the blade with a damp cloth between every cut. This is the difference between clean bars and ragged ones.

    Dust right before serving, not ahead. Powdered sugar absorbs into the lemon filling over time and disappears. Dust at the last minute so it looks like a proper snow dusting.

    They keep well. Refrigerate in a single layer (or with parchment between layers) for up to 5 days.

    Travel tip. Pack in a single layer in a container — don't stack them or they'll stick together. They hold their shape well and don't need a cooler for a few hours.

    Vegetarian as written; GF version easy

    Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour in both the crust and the filling 1:1 with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. No other changes needed. The texture is very slightly less crisp in the crust but still excellent.

    Lime bars: Swap fresh lime juice + lime zest in place of lemon. Same quantity. A little sweeter, equally good.