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.