Lemon Bars!

Easy five ingredient lemon bars – soft delicious buttery shortbread, smooth sharp lemon curd topping! 

Lemon bars

I will say from the very first sentence now, that I am completely and utterly obsessed with these. They are the dreamiest of dreamy and I love them. If you like lemon, you will be obsessed! I have had SO many requests for these over the years, and finally, when a lemon craving hit, I sat down and wrote them up. Honestly, they are worth the wait.

Here is the quick version before we get into it:

• Just five ingredients, which is my favourite bit. Most lemon bar recipes lead with seven, and I love that these keep it simpler.
• Baked in a 9×9″ square tin, cut into 16 pieces.
• Bake the shortbread base, pour on the lemon layer, then bake again.
• Cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge to set fully before cutting.
• Texture is a crumbly buttery base under a smooth, sharp, just-set lemon top.

Ingredients you need

Only a handful of bits go into these, and you probably have most of them in the cupboard already. Here is what you need and why.

• Unsalted butter – block butter, not the spreadable tub kind, for a proper crumbly shortbread base.
• Caster sugar – goes into both the base and the filling, and it dissolves nicely for a lovely smooth top.
• Plain flour – makes up the base, with just a little in the filling to help the lemon layer set.
• Eggs – medium ones. These set the lemon topping into that gorgeous curd-like layer.
• Lemons – you will want about 5 for the juice, plus the zest if you fancy it.

Shortbread base

The base, is the same as for my millionaires shortbread – a simple shortbread of unsalted butter, sugar, and flour. I like to use block butter for the best result, caster sugar for the best sweetness, and plain flour.. obviously. 

I use an easy ratio of 2:1:3 when I make my shortbread these days, and I find it works wonders. 200g butter, 100g sugar, 300g flour! Mix them together as per the recipe, and you have a lovely crumbly shortbread. Press them into your 9×9″ square tin – and bake! So simple. 

A few little things that make the base behave:

• Line the tin with parchment and leave an overhang up two sides, so you can lift the whole slab out in one go later. It makes neat cutting so much easier.
• Press it in firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon. A loose base can crumble when you slice, and you want it to hold together.
• You are aiming for pale golden on top, not properly browned. It firms up more as it cools, so do not be tempted to leave it in until it is dark.

Lemon topping

The topping for this, you can make whilst it’s baking. It doesn’t take long, and you are making a sort of lemon curd, lemon meringue pie style lemon filling – that you will bake straight on top of the shortbread. It can end up making the shortbread look under baked, but it’s not – it’s just soaked up the delicious lemon goodness. 

Fresh lemon juice is what I reach for every time, and honestly it gives you the brightest, sharpest flavour, so that is what I would recommend. Plenty of bakers swear by fresh only and I am right there with them for the best result. If all you have is bottled it will still do the job in a pinch, but fresh is worth it here. The zest is optional, and it is really a texture choice. Leave it in for little flecks and an extra flavour hit, or leave it out if you want the smoothest possible top.

Make sure to zest your lemons first, and then juice them – the amount of lemons may vary because of the sizing – but it’s about 5 lemons you use. I grate my lemon zest on the fine one so the pieces aren’t too large!

I add in my sugar and plain flour to a bowl and whisk until combined. Then, I add in the lemon juice, zest and eggs mix until smooth. It really doesn’t take long at all which is why it’s so good! Whisk it gently though, you do not want to beat loads of air into the filling, or you can end up with little bubbles on the surface once it bakes.

How to make lemon bars

Here is the whole thing start to finish, and honestly it could not be simpler. It is a one-bowl filling, pour-and-bake sort of job, made with UK measures and only a handful of ingredients. I like to call it five ingredients, as you have the sugar, butter, flour, eggs and lemon. You could argue the zest and juice is two, but as it is from the one lemon, I am counting it as one!

1. Line your 9×9″ square tin with parchment, leaving a little overhang up the sides so you can lift the bars out later.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the flour to a crumbly dough. Press it firmly into the tin and bake at 180C/160C Fan for 20 to 25 minutes, until pale golden on top.
3. Whilst that bakes, whisk your sugar and flour together, then gently whisk in the lemon juice, zest and eggs until smooth.
4. Pour the lemon mixture straight onto the hot shortbread and return it to the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the top no longer wobbles.
5. Leave to cool at room temperature for about 2 hours, then chill in the fridge for another 2 hours, or overnight, to firm up.
6. Lift the slab out using the parchment, dust with icing sugar if you fancy, and cut into squares, wiping your knife clean between each cut for lovely tidy edges.

Crust tips

• Press the shortbread in firmly and evenly. A loose base is the main reason bars crumble when you slice them.
• Go for pale golden, not browned. Around 20 to 25 minutes does it, and the base sets a little more as it cools.
• If the base cracks a touch as you press it in, do not worry. Once the lemon bakes on top it all holds together beautifully.
• Make sure the base is properly baked before the lemon goes on, as it does not get much more time in the oven once it is covered.

Filling tips

• It is baked when the top has only the slightest wobble in the very middle. It sets more as it chills, so do not overbake it chasing a firm top.
• Do not panic if the shortbread looks a bit underbaked once the lemon is poured on. It looks that way but it is not, the base has just soaked up some of that lemony goodness.
• Give it the full chill, room temperature and then the fridge, before you slice. Rushing this is the one thing that leaves you with a soft, runny middle instead of a proper set.

FAQs

Storage and freezing

Homemade lemon bars store really well after baking. I personally would recommend storing them in the fridge, for up to one week. They can store at room temperature, but for only a few hours on a cool day.

The bars can be frozen, once they have been cooled completely after baking. They can freeze for 3+ months, and I would recommend thawing overnight in the refrigerator.