Description
These Lemon Crumb Bars are a bright and delicious treat with a buttery shortbread crust, a creamy, tangy lemon filling, and a crumbly topping. They’re perfect for a dessert, snack, or potluck.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust and Crumble Topping:
- 2 1/3 cups (292g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks, 170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
For the Lemon Filling:
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to help lift the bars out later.
- Make Crust/Crumble Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, packed light brown sugar, salt, and baking powder until well combined.
- Add Melted Butter: Pour the melted and slightly cooled butter over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork or your hands until the mixture is crumbly.
- Press Crust into Pan: Reserve about 1/3 to 1/2 of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining 2/3 of the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan to form the crust.
- Bake Crust: Bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Make Lemon Filling: While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, room-temperature egg yolks, heavy cream, and salt until well combined.
- Add Lemon Juice: Gradually whisk in the fresh lemon juice until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour Filling over Hot Crust: Remove the pre-baked crust from the oven. Carefully pour the lemon filling evenly over the hot crust.
- Add Crumble Topping: Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top of the lemon filling.
- Bake: Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly when the pan is gently shaken).
- Cool Completely: Remove the pan from the oven and let the lemon bars cool completely at room temperature.
- Chill: Once cooled to room temperature, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the filling to set completely.
- Cut and Serve: Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the chilled bars out of the pan. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Melted Butter: Make sure the melted butter is cooled slightly before adding it to the dry ingredients. This prevents the crust from being too greasy.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Using room-temperature egg yolks helps them emulsify properly with the other ingredients.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is essential for the best flavor.
- Baking Time: The baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven.
- Cooling and Chilling: It’s important to let the lemon bars cool completely at room temperature and then chill them thoroughly in the refrigerator. This allows the filling to set properly and makes them easier to cut.
- Serving Suggestions: These lemon crumb bars are delicious on their own, or with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.
- Storage: Store Leftovers.