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Creamy Lemon Bars
These bright Creamy Lemon Bars are easy to make and incredibly delicious with a crisp, buttery crust and smooth lemon filling that is tart, tangy, sweet and creamy. The contrasting textures of the silky and creamy lemon filling over the crisp base is so satisfying to bite into and the crust doesn't get soggy. I love to make these in early Spring, but I also make them all year round.
Ingredients
Shortcrust Base:
- 1 cup (142g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 7 tablespoon (100g) unsalted butter, softened but cool and cut into small cubes
Lemon Filling:
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80ml/100g) sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup (80ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon (9g) all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8x8-inch square metal baking pan with aluminum foil* and grease the bottom and sides lightly with butter.
- Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Add butter and blend it in with your fingertips until well dispersed and it resembles coarse crumbs (or mix on low speed for 3-4 minutes with the paddle attachment). Press the crumb mixture evenly into the prepared pan using your hands, building it up about ½-inch along the sides to create a thin edge to keep the filling in. Use the back of a spoon to smooth over the surface. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are browned and surface is lightly golden.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. It’s OK if the filling sits a bit because it will help the flour hydrate and the sugar to dissolve further. Combine sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl and rub it together so the sugar is fragrant. Add eggs and whisk gently until well blended. Do not whisk vigorously to avoid air incorporation. Mix in condensed milk, lemon juice and salt, then sift in flour and mix it in until smooth. Set the filling aside until the crust is ready, but right before you pour it over, give it a nice stir in case it has settled a bit.
- Slowly pour the filling over the hot crust and bake for 16-20 minutes until it is just set in the centre an jiggles just a little. It shouldn’t be loose and liquidy, but it should give a nice bouncy jiggle like jelly in the very middle when you shake the pan. Do not over-bake or the filling can become too firm.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before slicing. Foil will adhere closely too the crust so that it doesn’t shrink and pull away from the sides on cooling which would leave a gap where the lemon filling can leak to the bottom and make a soggy crust.
*For lining the pan, aluminum foil adheres closely to the crust so that it doesn’t shrink and pull away from the sides on cooling which would leave a gap where the lemon filling can leak to the bottom and make a soggy crust.
