--- title: "Tangy Lemon Bars" url: https://stacklist.com/card/656a5505-b387-4bde-8d4a-87424fab2146 source_url: "https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/lemon-squares/" stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/9f697a9a-bdfd-4cd1-9cf8-b582cbd021ca summary: "Lemon Squares is an easy-to-make dessert recipe featuring a buttery shortbread crust and fresh lemon filling, perfect for holiday baking and lemon lovers. The recipe includes detailed instructions, ingredient lists, and helpful baking tips for achieving perfectly cut and baked lemon bars." tags: "lemon-squares, dessert, recipe, baking, italian, shortbread, citrus" key_entities: "Rosemary Molloy (person), Italy (location), shortbread crust (concept), lemon filling (concept)" classification: "tutorial" content_hash: "sha256:ddf0e51636519777d8b0321e55683a75d4dc45afc46a51bbf10282542ee32991" acp_version: "0.2" token_counts_approximate: 1825 visibility: public agent_accessible: true status: "final" --- # Tangy Lemon Bars 4.93 from 325 votes Jump to Recipe Share Pin Email Share Easy Lemon Squares, these tangy squares are quick, easy and so delicious, made with a buttery shortbread crust and a fresh lemon filling. Easy and tasty bars. They are a definite must bake this Holiday Season!   This recipe for Lemon Squares was given to me by my amazing cousin, who I can’t wait to see again (soon!!) and I think they would be great to make for all the lemon flavor loving dessert people out there. My mother loved baking with lemons, from Lemon Bread to Lemon Cake it seems we can never get enough. In Italy there is a never-ending abundance of lemons, everyone has a lemon tree or two or three. Funny thing is, my husband and I plant and plant lemon trees and the trees look beautiful, but no lemons. Very strange. But that doesn’t keep us from trying. When we first arrived in Italy, one week after our wedding, we lived in a beautiful house that belonged to my brother-in-law. And we planted, yup you guessed it, our first lemon tree, and of course we never saw not even one lemon. Eight  years later we moved into our own home, and that lovely lemon tree started to produce and I mean produce tons of lemons! Lucky for them! So here we are, 9 years later with a few nice green trees and unfortunately still no lemons. Maybe it is time to think about moving again… Thank goodness everyone we know has lemon producing trees. Ingredients for the Recipe Butter – softened butter Sugar – powdered/icing/confectioners’ sugar Flour – all purpose flour Salt – if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more salt For the Filling Eggs Sugar – granulated sugar Baking Powder Lemon Juice – be sure to use fresh lemons and not bottled Salt Lemon Zest How to make a Lemon bar recipe In a medium bowl, stand mixer or even food processor, beat on medium speed the butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add the flour and beat again until a soft dough forms. Pat evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake, remove from the oven. Let cool. In a medium bowl, beat together, the eggs, granulated sugar, baking powder, fresh lemon juice and pinch of salt. Pour over the baked cooled crust and return to the oven and bake until the centre is set. Cool in the pan. Cut when the bars are completely cooled. Tips for making the Best Lemon Bars Be sure to use fresh lemons, you want the best tasting bars since it’s all about the lemons! For easier removal line your baking pan with parchment paper. Be sure to bake the crust before adding the filling. Be sure to cool the semi baked crust before adding the filling. You may want to refrigerate them before cutting, it makes it easier to cut into clean even squares. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Why are my bars runny? If they are too runny or jiggle too much, it’s because they have not been baked for enough time. Be sure to bake the bottom crust for the time stated that will help too. What is the best way to cut lemon bars? Be sure to use a sharp wet knife. It’s also a good idea to chill the bars before slicing. Is it better to use a metal or glass pan? For lemon squares, glass are considered better than metal pans because the acidity of the lemon juice can react with the metal, which can give the bars a metallic taste.  More delicious Lemon Recipes Lemon Cupcakes Italian Lemon Cookies Italian Fresh Cream Lemon Cake Lemon Shortbread Cookies These Lemon Bars have the perfect sweetness and are best as a dessert or even an afternoon snack, amazing with a cup of tea or serve to family or guests. Enjoy! Easy Lemon Squares Rosemary Molloy 4.93 from 325 votes Easy Lemon Squares, these tangy squares are quick, easy and so delicious, made with a buttery shortbread base and a fresh lemon filling.   Prep Time 15 minutes mins Cook Time 45 minutes mins Total Time 1 hour hr Course Desserts Cuisine American Servings 16 squares Calories 144 kcal US Customary Metric 1/2X 1x 2x 3x Print Recipe Save Saved! Ingredients SHORTBREAD BASE ½ cup butter* (softened) ¼ cup powdered sugar 1 cup flour 1 pinch salt * I always use salted butter, if you use unsalted then increase the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. LEMON FILLING 2 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon baking powder 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 pinch salt zest of ½-1 lemon (½ – 1 tablespoon) Instructions   Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease and flour an 8×8 inch (20x20cm) square cake pan or line with parchment paper. SHORTBREAD BASE In a medium bowl, beat on medium speed the butter and powdered sugar until combined then add the flour and salt, beat again until a soft dough forms (approximately 1½ minutes). Pat evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave it on, let the crust cool before adding the filling. LEMON FILLING Meanwhile in a medium bowl, beat together, the eggs, granulated sugar, baking powder, fresh lemon juice, pinch of salt and zest. If you are worried about the filling sinking to the bottom then add 2-4 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Pour over the cooled crust (not hot) baked crust and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes (until the centre is set, I baked mine for 25 minutes, may need to go a bit longer). Cool in the pan, I recommend that you also chill in the fridge for 1 hour for easier cutting, cut into squares, remove from pan, dust with powdered sugar and serve. Enjoy! Notes You may want to refrigerate the Lemon Bars before cutting as it makes cutting the squares easier. How to know when Lemon Bars are done You know when Lemon Bars are done when you gently shake the pan and the filling is set and no longer jiggles. Be sure to let the squares completely cool before cutting. They need to set up, so don’t rush this step. I like to let them cool at room temperature for about an hour then refrigerate for about 1-2 hours before cutting. How to store lemon bars Store the cooled baked bars in an airtight container in the fridge, although they can be left out for a few hours while they are being served. They will last up to 4 days in the fridge. Lemon Squares can also be frozen, place the completely cooled cookies, on a cookie sheet, freeze for 1 hour then transfer to a freezer safe container, place parchment paper between the layers, they will keep for up to 3-4 months in the freezer. Be sure to thaw the frozen cookies in the fridge before serving. If you do freeze them, don’t dust with powdered sugar first, that can be added before serving. Nutrition Calories: 144 kcal | Carbohydrates: 21 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Cholesterol: 36 mg | Sodium: 64 mg | Potassium: 31 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 14 g | Vitamin A: 205 IU | Vitamin C: 1.1 mg | Calcium: 11 mg | Iron: 0.5 mg Did You Make This Recipe? Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account! Updated from May 9, 2014. 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