Description
Bright, buttery, and perfectly tart — these easy lemon bars are your go-to sweet citrus holiday treat for 2025. Simple shortbread crust, fresh lemon filling, and a pretty powdered-sugar finish.
Ingredients
Scale
- Crust
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- Filling
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crust: In a bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, and softened butter until a crumbly dough forms. Press evenly into the prepared pan and bake 15–18 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Make the filling: Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, 2 tbsp flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
- Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust. Return to the oven and bake 20 minutes, or until the center is set.
- Cool completely, then chill at least 2 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and slice into 16 bars.
Notes
Tested twice; best texture after chilling 2 hours before slicing. For dairy-free, use vegan butter in the crust. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Store in the fridge up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: easy lemon bars recipe, lemon bars, citrus dessert, holiday treats, buttery crust, lemon squares, lemon dessert