The Best Meyer Lemon Bars Recipe
This is the only lemon bar recipe you'll ever need-- rich custard filling, buttery shortbread crust, and Meyer lemons for an unexpected twist on the classic.
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
SHORTBREAD CRUST
- ⅔ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- the zest of one Meyer lemon1
- ⅔ cup (152g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 and ⅓ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
FILLING
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 and ¼ cups (450g) granulated sugar
- the zest of 3 Meyer lemons1
- ¾ cup (180mL) Meyer lemon juice1 about 5 to 6 Meyer lemons
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour
Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Line an 8″ x 8″ or 9″ x 9″ baking pan with parchment. You can use foil, but I don't prefer this method as it often is quite difficult to remove the bars. Leave an overhang on the sides. Set aside.
SHORTBREAD CRUST
- NOTE: the original recipe, published in 2020, featured a much thicker crust that some readers did not like. The recipe as written now has been reduced by ⅓. The original measurements are in the first note2 below.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Use your fingers to massage the zest into the sugar until it is fragrant and the sugar is pale yellow.⅔ cup (152g) unsalted butter, ⅔ cup (67g) granulated sugar, 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, the zest of one Meyer lemon1, 1 and ⅓ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and salt and stir to combine. Add the flour and stir until you have a cohesive mixture. It will be quite loose. This is ok.
- Press the crust evenly into the prepared pan, then bake the crust for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.
FILLING
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.4 large eggs, 2 and ¼ cups (450g) granulated sugar, the zest of 3 Meyer lemons1, ¾ cup (180mL) Meyer lemon juice1, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the flour, then whisk or fold in the flour, pressing out any large chunks of flour as you stir. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to allow the bubbles on the surface to dissipate.¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour
- Gently give the mixture a few more stirs to pop the remaining bubbles (it's ok if they don't all go away), then pour the filling over the crust. Bake the bars for 42-48 minutes, until the filling is set3. A little jiggling in the center is ok (think Jell-O). Allow to cool to room temperature before allowing to chill completely in the refrigerator.
- To serve, remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang. Cut the bars into desired size and dust with powdered sugar, if desired, before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Bars freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then dust with powdered sugar.
Video
Notes
- If you don't have Meyer lemons: you can opt to use 2 parts yellow lemon to 1 part orange to achieve Meyer lemon flavor.
- Crust ingredients: the original recipe, published in 2020, featured a much thicker crust that some readers did not like. The recipe as written now has been reduced by ⅓, but if you want the original measurements, they are as follows: 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, melted; ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon salt; the zest of one Meyer lemon; 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour.
- How to tell when bars are done: you'll know your bars are done when the edges just start turning golden brown and the filling is mostly set with a slight jiggle in the center. Think of the motion of Jell-O. If you really want to be exact, you can check for an internal temperature of 170ºF (77ºC). This is my very favorite instant-read digital thermometer, and this is my favorite budget-friendly digital thermometer.
- Presentation: the top of the bars may look bubbly. This is ok, and is a reaction of the cooked sugar and eggs. It can show up in some batches and not others, but it is completely normal.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 297IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
