Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust
Updated January 23, 2023
Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust is, hands down, the most requested dessert in my family. This lemon bar recipe uses simple ingredients like fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, real butter, almonds, oatmeal, and lots of powdered sugar. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, tangy lemon curd filling and buttery, crispy shortbread crust. These homemade lemon bars get 5 stars from all the lemon lovers who try them, they are crazy good!
Why You’ll Love These Easy Lemon Bars
- Sweet Tart Lemon Custard: The sweet and tart filling in this recipe is simply delicious. Buttery, creamy lemon filling baked on top of a layer of butter, lemon, and almond crust. These two together make a perfect dessert.
- Crispy Shortbread Crust textures: I love different textures in my sweets. The shortbread crust for this recipe is a little different. The bottom is more like a cookie bottom than a pie crust bottom. It’s crispier but has a soft crust top that complements the luscious lemon filling.
- Easy Make-Ahead Treat: These lemon squares are the perfect make-ahead dessert and are better if refrigerated a day in advance. The crust becomes a little crispier, the filling takes on a luscious velvety flavor, and the top layer of the confectioner’s sugar coating makes a sweet, thin crust.
- Perfect for All Occasions: My mom loved these lemon bars so much I’d make us a batch every Mother’s Day. They also hit the sweet spot for Easter, Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas. Lemon Bars are always a staple at bridal showers, baby showers, brunches, and birthday parties. My kids ask for these on their birthdays instead of cake!
What You’ll Need for Classic Lemon Bars with Crispy Shortbread Crust
Fresh Lemons: There is no substitute for fresh and bright lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice should not be used in this recipe. If you can’t find large lemons, then use 3 medium lemons.
Fresh Lemon Zest: Lemon zest adds the perfect amount of lemon tang to the crust and the filling.
Large Eggs: Use room temperature eggs.
Granulated Sugar: Adds the sweet to counter the citrus pucker.
All-Purpose Flour: I use non-bleached flour. Whole wheat flour can be used instead of all-purpose flour.
Almond Extract or Pure Vanilla Extract: Almond extract adds a slightly sweet Amaretto essence. Vanilla adds a warmer, buttery note. They’re both delicious in this recipe. Note: If using vanilla make sure to use pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
Confectioner’s Sugar: Powder sugar is not as sugary as regular pure cane sugar. It adds texture to the crispy crust.
Sliced Almonds and Oats: The oatmeal and almonds make the crust a little bit crispy to the bite while remaining soft and buttery.
Butter: use salted or unsalted butter, your choice
What You’ll Need for the Best Lemon Bars
Almond Shortbread Crust Ingredients
- 2¼ cups flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup sliced almonds optional
- 2 large zest of lemon
- 1 cup cold real butter, 2 sticks cubed
Lemon Filling Ingredients
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ fresh lemon juice, 3-4 med lemons or 2-3 large or a little more to pucker taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose non-bleached flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla Extract optional, I usually add Almond…so good!
- Confectioner’s Sugar (powdered sugar)
How To Make Homemade Lemon Bars
Prep Steps:
- 1. Zest 2 large lemons, use 3/4 of the zest for the crust and reserve the remaining zest for the lemon filling.
- 2. Cut 2 sticks of cold butter into small cubes.
- 3. Measure dry ingredients and place in a food processor with a regular blade. Note: if you do not have a food processor, use a large mixing bowl and a pastry cutter or a large fork and knife to cut the butter cubes into the dry flour mixture.
- 4. Lightly butter the 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish with the inside of the butter wrappers for this step. Note: Don’t leave out the corners. There should be a dull, butter film over the entire bottom of the baking dish. You can also use butter-flavored cooking spray instead of real butter.
Make the shortbread crust first
- Step One: Add cubed cold butter to the dry ingredients in the processor. Pulse about 5 or 6 times until the ingredients turn into a crumble. The result should be a moist, buttery, coarse meal.
Step Two: Place coarse meal in the glass baking dish. Level out the mixture to cover the bottom of the dish. - Step Three Firmly press the dough mixture down using your palms and fingers. Make sure you go up the sides of the pan with the dough to make crust edges. Make the thickness as uniform throughout as possible.
- Step Four: Bake uncovered at 350° for 15-20 mins. Or until just starting to turn golden brown on the edges. Note: baking time will vary.
- Step Five: Don’t let the baked crust cool too much before adding the filling.
Make the lemon filling while you’re waiting for the crust to bake.
- Step One: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, and baking powder together.
- Step Two: Add beaten eggs to the flour mixture and whisk.
- Step Three: Squeeze fresh lemons to make 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. Pour into the egg and flour mixture along with the remaining 1/4 of lemon zest. Whisk making sure the lemon juice doesn’t sit on the eggs.
- Step Four: Pour lemon mixture on top of warm, baked crust.
- Step Five: Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350° or until filling is firm and not jiggly. Note: Baking time will vary.
- Step Six: Sift confectioners’ sugar on top of the warm lemon bars. Note: The lemon bars should be out of the oven for about 8-10 minutes before you do this step.
- Let cool for at least an hour. For even better flavor put in fridge for about 2 hours after they’ve cooled.
Tips for Perfect Lemon Bars
- BAKE THE CRUST BEFORE YOU ADD THE FILLING!.
- When the lemon bars come out of the oven you might notice air bubbles on top of the crust. This is completely normal, it’s the release of trapped air from whisking the lemon mixture.
- Zest the lemons before you juice them.
- To get more juice from the lemons, place in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Roll on the counter, cut in half, and then juice.
- Make sure you have blended all your dry crust ingredients in the processor before you add the butter.
- Use cold, firm butter.
- Lightly grease the bottom of the glass pan with butter. You can also use butter-flavored cooking spray.
- Cut the chilled lemon bars with a sharp knife.
Kitchen Items for Lemon Bars
How to Store Leftover Lemon Bars
The best way to store lemon bars is in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Or the glass baking dish you baked them in covered with plastic wrap.
Lemon Bars freeze well in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to two months. This crust holds up very well when thawed, it doesn’t become mushy.
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Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
Almond Shortbread Crust
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose, unbleached flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 zest of lemons, divided – see instructions 2 large or 3 medium
- 1 cup cold butter 2 sticks cubed
Lemon Filling
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ fresh lemon juice, 3-4 med lemons or 2-3 large or a little more to pucker taste
- lemon zest – 1/4 remaining from crust
- ¼ cup all purpose non bleached flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla Extract optional, I usually add Almond…so good!
- powder sugar
Instructions
Prep Steps
- Zest 2 large lemons, use 3/4 of the zest for the crust and reserve the remaining zest for the lemon filling.2 zest of lemons, divided – see instructions
- Cut 2 sticks of cold butter into small cubes1 cup cold butter
- Measure dry ingredients and place in a food processor with a regular blade. Note: if you do not have a food processor, use a large mixing bowl and a pastry cutter or large fork and knife to cut the butter cubes into the dry flour mixture.2 1/4 cup all purpose, unbleached flour, 1 cup quick oats, 1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar), 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Lightly butter the 9"x 13" glass baking dish with the inside of the butter wrappers for this step. Note: Don't leave out the corners. There should be a dull, butter film over the entire bottom of the baking dish.
Shortbread Crust
- Step One: Add cubed cold butter to the dry ingredients in the processor. Pulse about 5 or 6 time until ingredients turn into a crumble. The result should be a moist, buttery, coarse meal.
- Step Two: Place coarse meal in the glass baking dish. Level out mixture to cover the bottom of the dish.
- Step Three: Firmly press dough mixture down using your palms and fingers. Make sure you go up the sides of the pan with the dough to make crust edges. Make the thickness as uniform throughout as possible.
- Step Four: Bake uncovered at 350° for 15-20 mins. Or until just starting to turn golden brown on the edges. Note: baking time will vary.
- Step Five: Don't let the baked crust to cool too much before adding the filling.
Lemon Filling
- Step One: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, and baking powder together.2 cups sugar, ¼ cup all purpose non bleached flour, ½ tsp baking powder
- Step Two: Add beaten eggs to the flour mixture and whisk.4 eggs, beaten, 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla Extract
- Step Three: Squeeze fresh lemons to make 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice. Pour into the egg and flour mixture along with the remaining 1/4 of lemon zest. Whisk making sure the lemon juice doesn't sit on the eggs.½ fresh lemon juice, 3-4 med lemons or 2-3 large, lemon zest – 1/4 remaining from crust
- Step Four: Pour lemon mixture on top of warm, baked crust.
- Step Five: Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350° or until filling is firm and not jiggly. Note: Baking time will vary.
- Step Six: Sift confectioners' sugar on top of the warm lemon bars. Note: The lemon bars should be out of the oven for about 8-10 minutes before you do this step.powder sugar
- Let cool for at least an hour. For even better flavor put in fridge for about 2 hours after they've cooled.
Nutrition
Best Almond Shortbread Crust
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour unbleached
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup sliced almonds optional
- 1 cup cold butter, 2 sticks cubed
Instructions
- Place all ingrediants in a food processor except butter. Process until just mixed. approx 15-20 seconds.
- Add cubed butter to processor and process until just mixed and starts to ball up.
- Place dough in a greased 9"x13" GLASS dish. Pat out with hands and fingers. Make sure you go up the sides of the dish with the dough making edges.
- Bake at 350° for 20-25 mins. Or until just starting to turn golden on the edges.
- Don't let it cool to much before you add the filling.