These lemon shortbread bars are absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Lemon bars with shortbread crust make for the perfect spring treat. Lemon bars can be made so many different ways and these dessert bars are a little bit different because they have a creamy lemon filling instead of tart lemon filling like traditional lemon bars. They also have an optional shortbread crumble topping which perfectly balances the delicious lemon filling.
These lemon shortbread bars are the perfect spring dessert. Lemon desserts are very populate in the springtime and summer when the lemons are super fresh.
Dessert bar recipes are super easy to make and always please a crowd. They are perfect to bring to a summer barbecue or birthday party. Check out all of our dessert bar recipes as well if you like these lemon shortbread crumble bars. These carrot cake blondies also make for the perfect springtime or Easter dessert!
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What makes these lemon bars special?
These lemon bars are unique because they are not your traditional tangy lemon bars. I took a gamble when I was developing these because I wanted a delicious lemon bar that wasn't super tart, but yet still had enough sweetness and leaned more towards a creamy, yet stable dessert bar. These lemon shortbread bars were born, and I never looked back!
Lemon desserts of any kind always remind me of my dad because he is a big lemon dessert lover. I always make sure to pass along any desserts I make with lemon to him!
You're going to love them if you're a fan of lemon but want something not as tart! Plenty of lemon flavor, and a pop of lemon zest, simple, sweet, yet creamy and balanced with a shortbread crust - you just can't go wrong with these lemon bars.
Ingredients for Lemon Shortbread Bars
The ingredients for these easy lemon bars with shortbread crust are very simple. You may have most of these ingredients already.
- lemons (lemon juice + lemon zest)
- egg yolks
- sweetened condensed milk (I achieve the best results using Eagle Brand.)
- heavy whipping cream
- melted butter
- granulated sugar
- powdered sugar (optional for dusting on top before serving)
- all purpose flour
- vanilla extract
- salt
How to Make Lemon Shortbread Bars
Making lemon shortbread bars is super simple and all you really need is some patience! We bake the crust and then add the filling and bake again. After the lemon bars are baked, you'll need to let them cool completely and then let them chill in the refrigerator to set fully.
Although these lemon bars require a bit of waiting time, I promise they are so worth it!
Start by making the simple shortbread crust. Dough will be crumbly but should stick together if you press it together with your fingers. Reserve half a cup to use as a crumble topping if desired.
Press the shortbread dough into a 13x9 baking pan, prepared with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick spray. Press into an even layer.
Bake shortbread crust and then immediately lightly poke into the baked crust with a butter knife or fork. Be careful not to poke all the way through the dough, just lightly press into it.
While the shortbread crust layer is baking, whisk together all of the wet ingredients including egg yolks, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, lemon juice plus zest, heavy whipping cream until completely uniform.
Pour the lemon filling on top of the baked shortbread crust and spread evenly.
Hint: Poking the baked shortbread crust lightly with a butter knife or fork will help the creamy lemon filling set and stick better to the crust. Be sure not to poke all the way down to the bottom as you don't want the filling to leak out. If you forget this part, no worries, they will still be delicious!
Top the lemon filling with the remaining crumble if you reserved some for the top. This is optional, but I love the additional crumble on top and find that it makes for the perfect shortbread crust to lemon filling ratio, in my opinion anyway.
Bake in the oven until bars are set and no longer jiggly on top, but yet are still light in color. The crumble will have browned a little bit as well. I also like to add fresh lemon zest on top after the lemon shortbread bars are baked.
Let the bars cool completely at room temperature in the pan. Once the pan is cool to touch, cover with plastic wrap and place the lemon bars in the refrigerator to chill. This will help the bars set up completely before slicing them into squares.
Once the lemon shortbread bars are chilled completely, slice into 24 squares. These dessert bars are absolutely delicious.
Tip: To make even clean slices, be sure to clean the knife each time before slicing into the lemon shortbread bars again. You can also heat the knife slightly with warm water and dry off before slicing. The heat helps get cleaner slices.
Equipment for Lemon Shortbread Bars
You will need a 9x13 baking pan, either metal or glass will work. Keep in mind that metal can sometimes make lemon desserts taste metallic due to the acidity in the lemons. This is why I always line my baking pans with parchment paper. In addition, I also spray both the pan and parchment paper with nonstick baking spray to ensure nothing sticks! It is always worth the extra effort to prep your pan well.
You will also need some mixing bowls, measuring cups/spoons, a whisk, and rubber spatula or something to clean out the bowl with! I love these silicone spatulas because I can get every last drop of lemon filling or whatever I'm making out of the bowl! I use them EVERY single time I make something.
How to Store Lemon Shortbread Bars
Store the baked and cooled lemon bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They stay good for around 3 days when they remain chilled.
I've also frozen these lemon shortbread bars with success for up to one month. Be sure to wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap, before then storing in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Be sure to check out some of our other dessert bar recipes if you loved this recipe!
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Lemon Shortbread Crumble Bars
Equipment
- 13x9 baking pan
- Nonstick Spray
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- silicone spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust and Crumble
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Lemon Filling Layer
- 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk ((2) 14ounce cans)
- 6 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons depending on size of lemons, be sure to measure the juice separately)
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon zest (Tip: Zest the lemons before juicing them!)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang to pull the bars out of the pan, and greased with nonstick baking spray.
- In a bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Then fold in the flour. Dough will be crumbly but should form when pressed together.
- Reserve ¾ cup of the crumbly shortbread dough to place on top of the bars later. This is optional, you can use all the dough for the shortbread base if you do not want the crumble on top.
- Place the rest of the shortbread dough into the prepared baking pan and press the dough into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately use a fork or butter knife to add tiny indents into the warm dough. Be sure to not poke all the way through to the bottom, just gently poke through to the center around the entire pan.
- While the shortbread crust layer bakes, make the lemon filling layer. In a bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, heavy whipping cream, and salt, whisking thoroughly to combine until completely uniform.
- Pour the lemon layer mixture over the shortbread crust. If using the crumble, sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup of shortbread crumble over top of the lemon layer. Place back into the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes. The bars should not brown (although the crumble will brown a little), and the bars should no longer jiggle.
- Leave the bars in the pan to cool for 1-2 hours at room temperature before moving the pan to the refrigerator to cool for another 2 hours minimum, up to overnight.
- Once the bars are completely cooled and set up, remove from the pan. Dust with sifted powdered sugar. Slice into 24 slices and enjoy! Keep refrigerated.
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