Recipe Ancestor
← Go back
Lemon Bars
Lemon Bars

Cooking now

Lemon Bars

Online recipe · as published / commonly shared

Servings: 16 · Yield: 1 8x8-inch pan · Prep 20 min · Cook 50 min · Additional 30 min · Total 1 hr 40 min

We wrote this recipe in the Joy of Cooking style. Every amount, time and step comes from the source's recipe card.

Shortbread crust under a tart lemon custard.

Set an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

Make crust

Use the back of a spatula or wooden spoon to mash in a large bowl until thoroughly combined:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

Mix in until the mixture resembles slightly crumbly cookie dough:

¼ cup confectioners' sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Moisten the fingers with a little water and press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Use a fork to prick holes all over the crust.

Bake on the middle rack in the preheated oven until the edges are barely golden brown, about 22 minutes. Set aside.

Make custard

Beat together in a medium bowl until combined:

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolks

Whisk in until smooth:

1 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Add, and whisk for 2 minutes:

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Pour over the warm crust:

the lemon mixture

Bake on the center rack, about 25 minutes. Cook until the custard is set and the top has a thin white sugary crust. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Dip a knife into very hot water. Then run the blade around the edges and cut into 16 squares. Dust the bars with:

1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar, or to taste

Citations

Cookbook ancestor

Affiliate: buy the book

Reference: Betty Crocker's Cooky Book by Betty Crocker, General Mills (1963). Publisher: Harvest, 2002 edition, hardcover, ISBN 978-0764566370.

We put this together for personal use. See the citations. This is not a cookbook reprint.