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Lemon Bars

Soft, chewy lemon bars that just disappear in minutes.

♨ oven 325°F
◷ prep 20 min
◷ bake / cook ~45 min
◷ total ~1hr 10 min
☰ serves ~
☰ posted June 28, 2026

Tools

  • ⌖ Stand or Hand Mixer with mixing bowl
  • ⌖ 9×13 inch Baking Pan glass or ceramic
  • ⌖ Parchment Paper
  • ⌖ Fine Mesh Sieve for sifting flour & sugar
  • ⌖ Fork for poking the crust

Ingredients

Dough
amount ingredient
1 Cup Unsalted Butter ↳ Softened
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Cup Flour ↳ Add 2 Tbsp for better firmness
Lemon Filling
amount ingredient
2 Cup Granulated Sugar
6 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
6 Large Eggs
1 Cup Lemon Juice ↳ Fresh is best
2 Tsp Lemon Zest

Instructions

Crust
  1. 1

    Line bottom of 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

    • Leave an overhang across the sides for easy removal later
  2. 2

    Add the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Mix until combined.

  3. 3

    Add the flour to the bowl until all ingredients are combined.

    • Dough should be on the thick side. If not, add the 2 Tbsp of Flour.
  4. 4

    Add dough to bottom of baking pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes until edges are very lightly browned.

  5. 5

    Remove dough from oven, poke shallow holes into the warm dough with a fork.

    • Don't poke all the way through the dough! Every few inches is fine.
Lemon Filling
  1. 6

    Sift sugar and flour into a separate bowl. Whisk in eggs until combined.

  2. 7

    Add lemon zest and juice, stir until combined.

  3. 8

    Pour filling onto the crust. Bake again for 22-26 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles.

  4. 9

    After taking bars out of oven, cool in fridge for 1-2 hours for best results.