Lemon Bars are a popular dessert with a crumbly pastry base, gooey lemon sauce, and powdered sugar. They date back to the 1960s, but variations may have existed before. To make them, prepare the crust, add the filling, and bake until set. Variations can be made with lime, orange, or tangerine.
Lemon Bars are a sweet, tangy and, of course, lemony bar dessert. Although lemon bars appear to be a 20th century invention, they are as popular as many old-time favorites in some households, and many families have a recipe for lemon bars that is readily passed down to the new generations. Once well done, the lemon bars will have a perfectly crumbly pastry base, topped with a gooey lemon sauce almost like a custard and a delicate dusting of powdered sugar.
Some people like their hot, freshly baked lemon bars. Others like to cool them down, offering the cookies at the bar with a selection of other desserts at the end of the meal. Cooks with fancier aspirations can pour custard or whipped cream over their Lemon Bars and topped with fresh fruit. This can elevate the already popular dessert to new levels of deliciousness, according to many consumers.
The origins of bar biscuits appear to date back to the 1930s when cooks began baking more biscuits in large baking pans. The inspiration was probably the brownie, another popular dessert that comes in the form of a cut square. Lemon bars appear to have struck the popular imagination in the 1960s, although variations may have been made by individual chefs before this time.
To prepare the lemon bars, start by oiling a 20cm by 20cm pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper or foil to make cookie handling easier if you like. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and start on the crust. Cream a 1/2 cup butter with a quarter cup powdered sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt before slowing down by adding a cup flour to form a lightly gathered dough. Press the dough into the pan and cook it for 20 minutes, until brown, before taking it out and immediately adding the filling. The heat from the crust will help set the filling, ensuring it is cooked through.
For the filling, beat two eggs with one cup of sugar and add the juice and zest of two lemons, along with two tablespoons of flour to help the filling thicken. Pour the filling over the crust and cook the lemon bars until the filling sets. Sprinkle the dessert with powdered sugar, let the bars cool, and then slice them into individual portions. In addition to lemon bars, you can also make lime, orange, or tangerine bars if you’re feeling adventurous; in all cases, use about 1/3 cup of the juice along with a tablespoon of the zest. If you like your lemon bars saltier, reducing the sugar won’t have a major impact on the recipe.
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