Perfect Lemon Bars

I’m going to take a strong stance on this one and just put this out there – lemons are the best thing about winter. I’ve never been one for snow, despite spending the first 28 years of my life knee deep in the snowy winters of the Midwest. Winter sports? Not for me! Short days where I spend all of the few daylight hours we have stuck in the hospital? No thanks.

In San Francisco, lemons are totally in season right now and are considered local! It’s pretty magical.

In celebration of winter, I want to share with you this recipe for perfect lemon bars. The recipe is slightly adapted from the geniuses behind the famous Hummingbird Bakery. They are wayyy more lemony than your typical lemon bar and not so overwhelmingly sweet. I made them extra special because I used lemons grown so locally that they are actually backyard – from our lemon tree. We have bushels. You should really stop by. Even though it’s winter, we’ll still sit on the porch and have a some fresh-squeezed lemonade. ‘Cuz that’s how we do at Chez Sweet.

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Perfect Lemon Bars

Print Recipe

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5 from 2 reviews

Makes one 13 x 9″ pan

• Author: Hummingbird Bakery
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 12-15 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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For the Shortbread Crust:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

For the Lemon Bars:

• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 3 Eggs, at room temp
• 6 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 Teaspoons grated lemon zest

For the spice topping:

• 1 Teaspoon powdered sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon ground ginger

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Instructions

Make the shortbread crust:

1. Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, butter and lemon zest in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
2. Press the dough together with your hands and turn it out into a parchment-paper-lined 13 x 9″ baking pan.
3. Bake at 325F for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Place aside to let cool slightly.

Make the lemon bars:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 (F).
2. Whisk granulated sugar, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest in a medium bowl until well-mixed.
3. Pour over slightly cooled shortbread crust and return to 325F oven. It will be very runny!
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the topping has set. Let cool on a baking rack completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Combine the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon and ground ginger in a small bowl.
6. To serve, slice the chilled bars into small squares or long rectangles. Dust the bars with the powdered sugar-spice mixture. Let sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes before serving.

P.S. – Looking for other lemon recipes? Try these:

Tartine Lemon Shaker Pie
Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd
Tartlets with Lemon Curd
Fig & Chèvre Appetizer Bites with Candied Lemon
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Dried Lemon Slices
Best Homemade Lemonade