Old Fashioned Lemon Squares Recipe

Lemon Bar squares topped with a small slice of lemon.

Old Fashioned Lemon Squares Recipe

Delicious lemon squares are made with a shortbread crust and creamy fresh lemon filling. You can top it with a glaze (optional) and a dusting of powdered sugar. This classic dessert is made entirely from scratch and one of our favorite citrus desserts.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings squares

Calories 162kcal

Author Whitney Wright

Equipment

Ingredients

Crust

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Filling

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest from 1 large lemon

Glaze (optional)

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice may need more for right consistency

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8”x8” square pan with parchment paper so that the parchment comes up the sides. This will make removing the lemon bars much easier.
In a medium bowl add the softened butter, flour, and powdered sugar. Use hand beaters to mix the mixture for about 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can use a fork and stir everything together. I found the hand mixer to be a bit faster. The mixture will be very dry and crumbly, it will not come together like a dough. Press this crust mixture into to bottom of an 8x8 inch square pan. As you’re pressing it into the pan the crust will come together.
Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350°F. Remove from the oven and let cool just slightly while you make the filling.
In a medium bowl whisk the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Whisk in the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Pour the filling mixture over the baked crust and bake for 20-22 minutes at 350°F or until mixture is set and the edges are golden brown.
The glaze is optional, if you’d like to glaze the bars whisk the powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a glaze that is drizzle-able.
Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Glaze the bars while still warm and sprinkle with extra powdered sugar.
Store in airtight container for 3-5 days.

Notes

Cut the bars when they are cooled. Letting the bars cool before cutting will help the filling to set, which will also give you cleaner slices.

Nutrition