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Lemon Bars

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I’m not sure how it happened, but it did—I’m getting a head start on Christmas 2014 and we are only 2 weeks into January 2014. See, I’ve always been accused of being a procrastinator. Then I realized while some of my friends are hanging on and finger-nailing their way through their annual resolve of trimming down and sipping green smoothies, I’m rolling my 2013 holiday slumber into 2014.

Lemon Bars | Bakers Royale

Sure it might be because I’m pregnant, so my Christmas tree is still up and the sign counting down until Christmas now reads 343 days, or it might be my new positive outlook that—I’m ahead of schedule, way ahead.

Lemon Bars | Bakers Royale

For those of you wondering why I don’t just have Matt and the little guy take it down, I can’t. I’m way too much of a control freak with that stuff. It’s not that I care how they pack it away. I know they will do a great job at that. But it’s the mess and the chaos of tearing it all down. And of course I can leave the house while this goes on, but again—I’m a control freak—I want to dictate how the chaos will unfold.

Yeah, I’m quite the pain.

Lemon Bars | Bakers Royale

Now without a proper segue for today’s food talk . . . .hey, how about these lemon bars? I’ve made a lot of lemon bars from various sources, including my very own, but this one from Ina Garten continues to be my favorite. It’s bright in flavor, strong but not too tart. The short bread crust holds up without crumbling into a sandy mess and not so stiff that it feels separate from the lemon filling. (Small note: Don’t use Meyer Lemons, regular ones are best. Meyer lemons in this recipe dulls the bright bold flavor that makes this recipe).

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Lemon Bars

Yield: Makes on 9x13x2 inch pan

Ingredients:

Recipe from Ina Garten via Food Network

For the crust:

  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

  • 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup flour
  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

 

Directions:

Preparation: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  1. To make crust:  Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and creamy. Add in flour and salt and mix on low until just combined.  Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Bake crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
  2. To make filling: In a bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour mixture over crust and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
  3. Dust with confectioner sugar and cut to squares to preferred size.

 

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Comments

  1. They’re gorgeous and the third lemon bar recipe I’ve seen today! Jaclyn/cookingclassy & Joy The Baker both posted them! What are the odds. Yours are gorgeous and I would love a big square! :) pinned

  4. I hate taking down the Christmas Tree – it’s always such a depressing chore. Far better to leave it up all year. Who says it can’t be Christmas in January?
    Love these lemon bars, by the way.

  7. This year I made the family put the tree and decorations away since I put most of it up. It was still kind of torturous since I’m a control freak too. Next time I should plan better and have a batch of these to distract me 😉

  8. These are so pretty! I have never made or had lemon bars, but I think I need to give them a try! They look and sound perfect!

    Oh and I am the same way. Major control freak.

  9. Yum! I love lemon and your pictures always make things look amazing!

    And I am way late to the party (missed that you were pregnant) so CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

  10. Naomi, these look so yummy! Your recipe calls for XL eggs, but I always use large. I tried to find an equivalent number of large eggs to use and found lots of answers. I’m thinking I should use 8 large in place of 6 xl but just wondering if you could advise.
    Thanks!!

  18. Cannot get over how gorgeous these photos are. I’m definitely a procrastinator when it comes to getting recipes up by the holidays, haha. :) These lemon bars look amazing and I’d eat them all year long!

  19. Wow, these look gorgeous, Naomi! Do you think it’s possible to cut the amount of sugar in the filling, or would that make it too sour?

  22. You can always spot an Ina recipe by the extra large eggs. Ahhhh, Ina!
    That’s okay. These bars looks absolutely perfect and I have been craving something bright and lemony. Nice tip about avoiding Meyer lemons for this recipe. That totally makes sense!
    P.S. My Christmas tree is still up as well. I have zero excuses on my end 😉

  26. These are perfect Naomi! My craving for something citrusy started during the week-end with my easy lemon bars, but these surely satisfy it too! They look awesome!

  31. Well, I’m pregnant too, and I think you should be very proud of making and photographing these lemon bars! That feels like a much greater achievement than dealing with a Christmas tree in any case. And I can probably justify eating a lot of them for the Vitamin C, right?

  33. Beautiful photos! I can just imagine how wonderfully lemony they taste. They also look surprisingly easy to make. In the UK we have a version of this called ‘lemon meringue pie’ with peaked meringues on top. Do you have this too?

  34. These bars look soooooooo good! I’m crazy about lemon pie – I just might give your recipe a try. Thanks!!

  36. Ina Garten is a god damn genius. Her food is always simple but perfect.
    And I think that you have every right to procrastinate, who cares when the tree comes down, you’re growing a human in your guts!

  38. These look amazing! Lemon Bars are the first thing I go to for a bakery treat but I’ve never actually tried my hand at making them. I won’t be waiting until xmas to give these ones a go though :)

  39. I would love to make these tomorrow but I can’t see the recipe. Where is it?

    • Avatar for Naomi Robinson

      Naomi Robinson replied: — February 14th, 2014 @ 3:54 pm

      Hi Lisa the recipe should be back up now!

  40. Wow, Naomi! These lemon bars look absolutely succulent! The way you describe them makes me want to start baking immediately. Unfortunately, I’m a college student who has a microwave as my only electronic heating appliance. However, I won’t let that stop me when I go home for spring break! I especially like how precise each lemon bar turned out. It looks as though cutting into them was the easiest part…that only makes me wonder how deliciously perfect it would be to bite into one of those zesty little bars!

  41. I love lemon, these look so good. Will definitely be trying this recipe soon!

  44. My bars are in the oven as we speak…So far they’ve been baking for 38 mins now and the center is still moving a bit and the edges are beginning to brown. Can you please advise as to whether this is normal or not? If it is not, then where did I go wrong? Thanks!

  46. Hello there!

    May I know which oven setting to use (e.g. Top bottom, bottom fan, fan)? :)

    Many thanks,
    Rachel

  48. Thank you so much for such a nice dish….. I am notice all True Healing Self Healing the recipe on the notebook and in the evening i should be prepare at home

  49. Hello,
    So pretty. I just love the way you incorporate text into your photos, in such an unobtrusive way :)

Naomi Robinson

Avatar for Naomi RobinsonWelcome to my cozy corner where baking meets random thoughts and musings. I’m a self-taught baker sharing all things sweet (and some savory—okay, and cocktails) with a whisk in one hand and a camera in the other. More about Naomi »

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