BACK TO ALL RECIPES

Lemon Squares

Photo: Aya Brackett

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED July 18, 2024

People—especially me—just love these layered squares for their tart sweetness, delivered via a gooey top and sandy crust.

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!
Print

Lemon Squares

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes about 1 dozen 1x

Time about 1 hour

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened, plus more for greasing
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  • Confectioners’ sugar, sifted, for dusting

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with butter.
  2. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and the salt until light and fluffy. Stir in 1 cup of the flour. (This mixture will be quite dry.) Press it into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, until it’s just turning golden. Remove from the oven and cool slightly; leave the oven on.
  3. Beat the eggs, lemon juice, and the remaining 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar until lightened and thick. Mix in the remaining 3 tablespoons flour, the baking soda, and lemon zest. Pour over the crust. Bake until firm on the edges but still a jiggly in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes; don’t overbake them. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares. These can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

– Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition 

Recipe variations

Coconut-Lime Bars
Make the crust as directed. Increase the sugar in the filling to 1 3/4 cups and substitute lime juice and zest for the lemon. Sprinkle 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut over the filling just before baking. Omit the confectioners’ sugar.

Jam Bars
Make the crust as directed. For the filling, reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup and omit the flour and baking soda. Substitute 1/4 cup of your favorite jam for the lemon juice and zest, beating it with the eggs and sugar.

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.