Lemon bars are really easy to make and a delight to savour!
Made with a classic Scottish shortbread base and a fresh lemon curd topping that is a lovely balance of sweet and zing. I think you’ll be surprised how straightforward Lemon Bars are to make!
Lemon Bars
As I started writing this, I remembered that I shared Parmesan Shortbread Biscuits just 2 weeks ago. And that I shared a Honey Lemon Chicken last week.
And here I am today sharing these easy Lemon Bars with a shortbread base.
Jeez. I score high on variety, don’t I?? 😉 But I couldn’t resist. On Monday I was moaning about how I could feel that winter was just around the corner which is why I indulged in the winter-comfort Italian Meatball Soup, and yet yesterday when I made these, it was like summer was back and these Lemon Bars were fitting! (It’s Friday today and winter is back. Mr Weatherman, make up your mind!!!)
Lemon Bars Biscuit Base
For me, a key element of these Lemon Bars is the shortbread base. I really love using a classic Scottish shortbread recipe. Because the Scots claim shortbread as theirs, and there’s no denying they know a dang good one!
In my pre-appliance days (read: when I was a poor uni student), I used to make shortbread using my fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients. These days, I’m lazy and use my mini food processor. 4 or 5 quick pulses, and it’s done. How easy is that??
Pour the buttery “sand” into the tin, pat down, bake for 15 minutes. While it’s baking, whisk together the very simple lemon curd (eggs, sugar, lemon and flour), pour it in, bake again. Then cool to let it set.
That’s it.
Is shortbread made with rice flour or cornflour?
Oh – I forgot to mention: rice flour vs cornflour/cornstarch. The jury is out out on whether classic Scottish shortbread is made using rice flour or cornflour. Rice flour produces a crisper biscuit (but still soft) that crumbles beautifully as shortbread should. In contrast, shortbread made with cornflour is not as crisp but melts in your mouth more.
For this particular recipe, I think that the crisper shortbread is nicer as a contrast to the creamy lemon curd.
The magic of baking and how a few simple steps can transform into something so scrumptious always amazes me. In fact, with the shortbread base, these taste just like lemon meringue pies – minus the meringue top.
I don’t consider myself an expert baker by any means so when I share desserts, they are always pretty safe. Fuss free, zingy and sweet, but not too sweet, these are the type of sweet treats that will please everyone! – Nagi x
MORE IRRESISTIBLE BARS AND SLICES
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Brownies!! AND Salted Caramel Stuffed Brownies – ooh la la!!
-
Caramel Slice (aka Millionaire’s Shortbread!) – the great Aussie favourite!
-
Strawberry Bars – made with tons of fresh strawberries!
-
Easiest Ever Raspberries Jam Bars
-
No Bowl Choc Nut Bars – just layered up right in the pan!
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Easy Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Base
- 3/4 cup (115g) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1/4 cup (40g) rice flour (or cornstarch/cornflour) (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar / confectioner's sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 110 g / 1 stick butter (cold), cut into 1cm / 1/2" cubes
Lemon Topping
- 3 large eggs or 4 small eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar / super fine sugar
- 1/4 cup (35g) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (do this before juicing)
- 6 tbsp (90ml) lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all oven types). Spray a 20cm/8" square tin with oil and line with baking/parchment paper with overhang (so it can be lifted out once cooked).
- Place Shortbread Base ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until crumbs form - see photo. (Note 2) Pour into prepared tin and press evenly and firmly into the base.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden. Remove from oven.
- While the base is baking, place Lemon Topping ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
- Pour Lemon Topping onto the Shortbread Base. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until the topping is set and light golden.
- Remove from oven and cool. Transfer to fridge and cool for 2 hours before slicing into 16 squares. Dust with icing sugar (confectionary sugar) and serve.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer….in disbelief that none of these Lemon Bars came his way….
Just baked this! 😍 soooo yummy!!!
Made these recently for a work bake sale and they were an absolute hit!! Many were asking me for my ‘secret’ recipe. Beautiful crisp base and tart lemon flavour, perfect combo:)
This is the 2nd time I have baked these bars, They are just devine. If you are a lover of lemon curd, then you will be in heaven.! And, exceptionally easy to make. Great recipe!!
I have made these twice now and they were perfect both times. I have tried other Lemon Bar recipes but the topping would always ooze under the base and it would just end up a mess. So happy I have your recipe. Now I can make use of all the lemons my mum gives me.
Glad you enjoyed it Sarina! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Hi Nagi, love your recipes, thank you. These bars had a nice gooey consistency and great shortbread base but I found these way too sweet even after decreasing the sugar to 1 1/4 cups. Unfortunately all I could taste was sugar and the lemon flavour was a bit lost even though I increased the amount of zest. I will do as another reader suggested and decrease the sugar to 1 cup next time. In saying that I am probably the only person in Australia who doesn’t really like Tim Tams as I find them way too sweet….
Hi! I’m so sorry to hear that, I really don’t find these overly sweet! You need the sugar to balance out the sour in the lemon 🙂 Re: Tim Tams, I am going to pretend I didn’t read that!!! It’s un-Australian!!!
Hi Nagi,
I just made them tonight and I’m very happy with the result🤗 This is a great recipe, so easy to make, easy to cut and look beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it Shinko! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, I found this recipe as I was going to request lemon meringue pie (re your latest email inviting requests) so wanted to see if one already exists. This looks like it’ll fit the bill nicely but I’m wondering how I would go about making the meringue peaks (I really want sky high ones looking like a jesters hat (if that makes sense!) hope you can help. Thanks for all your recipes x
Hi! Nagi
I baked the lemon bars on Wednesday & I must say, they disappeared even before cooling completely.
Definitely the recipe is a Keeper and a Hit…… in my Family. This is my daughter’s comment: “Mum you outdone yourself, please bake the bars for my register teacher’s birthday”.
Do you have the chocolate bars recipes?
Dear Nagi,
My daughter and I made these yesterday 🙂
I should have noticed that your tin is 20cm and measured mine, which I did after! 🙁 and mine is 23cm. Next time I shall make 1 1/2 amount of the entire recipe.
So ours was a little too thin but the taste was very good and we shall be making it again.
We made it with rice flour and were very happy with the result so we shall stick to that.
A question about the eggs, you write 3 large of 4 small, I think in Australia normal sized eggs weigh 53 grams.. or is it 61 grams?? Have not weighed an Australian egg in years so please correct me .
I do not know if I should be using 3 or 4 (I used 3 which were about 57grams each). So could you please let me know the weight of your large eggs and that will help next time I make it.
Thanks Nagi.
Hi Rose! I’m pleased to hear you enjoyed the flavour Rose 🙂 3 eggs will be fine, I consider “large” eggs to be around 55 – 65 g, by small I mean 50g or less . N x
Hi Nagi,
We made the slice again and did 1 1/2 times the shortbread recipe but the same amount of lemon topping. Did adjust oven times with the shortbread, took about 5 minutes longer.
It was just a feeling not to adjust the lemon topping amount and we were all pleased with how it looked and tasted. Added more zest than last time so maybe that was why it was fine not to also not make 1 1/2 the recipe, it was lovely and tangy.
Thanks for this recipe Nagi. I tried this today. The lemon typing is yummy. I just used 1 cup of sugar and it’s plenty sweet for me. I u fortunately used cornflour instead of riceflour in the shortbread base and I find the taste is “chalky?”. In hindsight i should just used all plain flour for the base.
Oh dear Ratih, chalky is the right description if you use cornflour instead of rice flour. I’m sorry to hear that! N xx
hi nagi – i would like to know if you ever tried making a gluten free version of this? thanks x
I have not MG but I think it will work, just reduce the flour by 2 tbsp to start with and see how the mixture looks, if it is wet enough to press into the tin then that’s enough 🙂 N xx
These are great. The rice flour in the shortbread is a game changer! I do cheat often by topping with store bought lemon curd but still tasty
Terrific to hear MT! So pleased you enjoyed these 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi I’m wondering if you can freeze the yummy lemon bars? PS have loved all your recipes I have cooked. Pam
Yes you can! Just ensure they are in an airtight container or wrap them well. They defrost quite quickly actually! So pleased you’re enjoying my recipes, thank you for trying them! N xx
Hi Nagi,
Love every single recipe on here and I would say I cook 2 a week from your blog.
I just got this out of the oven and the top looks golden and set but around the edges its like topping has oozed out and doesn’t look set.
Do you think this will firm up in the fridge?
Also I’m never quite sure with your oven temperatures if its for conventional or fan forced? I assume conventional so I did mine at 170° fan forced. Do you have a conventional oven?
Keep on inspiring us!!
Hi Courts! Thank you so much for the question, I’m sorry I did not specify in this recipe! I have a fan forced, I added a note to that effect in the recipe. The way to tell if it is set is to jiggle it – if it sloshes then you know it’s not set, if it jiggles like jelly then it is set 🙂 It does firm up in the fridge so hoping it worked out ok for you! N x
I’m a huge fan of lemon desserts!
I am going to make this tonight, but not serving until 2 days from now (have no time tomorrow to make), should I refrigerate until I serve it? Or no need? Thanks.
Hi Cathy! If it’s hot where you are, I would refrigerate it then bring to room temperature. Otherwise just store them in an airtight container. 🙂
Oh my goodness! This is my absolute favourite recipe. I made it for the first time yesterday and have to make it again this morning. I must confess, I couldn’t wait for it to cool down and did a taste test while still hot. Amazing! I can’t even begin to describe just how delicious these Lemon Bars are.
Thank you thank you thank you
Yay!! I am so SO glad you loved these too! N xx
Perfect result! I have been following your blog for a while but never commented.
This is the first time I try to bake something from your website and they turned out great! 🙂
Hi Eleanor! Nice to hear from you! Your timing is brilliant, can you believe I made a batch this morning too? Seriously! So glad you enjoyed these, thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x
Dear Nagi,
I recently saw your Lemon Bars, and had to try them (it was the first time I dared try baking lemon bars), and they came out absolutely gorgeous! For some reason, the lemon curd didn’t set like yours did (it oozed more despite cooling and even after an evening in the fridge, looking gorgeous regardless), which actually made me wonder: do you think that the filling itself might be made separately into lemon curd by say, mixing all the ingredients for it together and cooking it over the stove in a pan or bran marie? It was the best lemon curd topping I ever tasted, and I’d love to be able to make it separately, too!
If you haven’t tried making it by yourself, that is okay: in that case, whenever I try that, I’ll let you know! Until then, thank you for the lovely recipe!
Hi Einzel! I’m sorry to hear yours didn’t set. That’s really odd, with that much egg in the recipe, it really should set. I haven’t tried this as a curd, normally it has butter in it so I’m not sure if this will work as a curd 🙂 I would love to know if you try it though!
Dear Nagi,
I come bearing news! We mixed up half a batch of the lemon topping, put it in a bowl, and cooked it over a bran marie. It thickened nicely after quite a bit of stirring. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to store it away, so I cannot tell you what it would have been like after a day, or used as lemon curd, but it was delicious.
After it spent a bit of time in the fridge, my mom added 50 g of butter to that half batch, and mixed thoroughly. We then used it to fill a sponge cake! The result was a lovely creamy filling that doesn’t quite set, though it will dry and crack on the surface, so it’s sadly useless for decorating cakes, unless someone wanted a very wrinkly pale yellow look, but it tasted fine regardless, and the filling between the sponge layers remained oozy and curd-like. It was definitely delicious, so we will be making it again!
This might not be of much use, but I waited so long to try this out that I wanted to let you know how we fared! Thank you again for sharing a recipe so great, it made me want to experiment, and have the original again and again! <3
Gosh, that IS helpful! Thank you so much for sharing that Einzel, I think I’m going to give it a go myself!! 🙂
I´ts look great!
I just finished the recipe but I replaced lemon with sweet lime. I tell you later…
Look forward to hearing!! 🙂 N x