This is my favorite recipe for Lemon Bars - from Gourmet Magazine.

Lemon Bars
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 minute
Yield: 24 bars

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Hot shortbread base, recipe follows
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until combined well and stir in lemon juice and flour. Pour lemon mixture over hot shortbread. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. And bake in middle of oven until set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Bar cookies keep, covered and chilled, 3 days. Sift confectioners' sugar over bars before serving.

Shortbread Base:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

My daughter loves, loves, loves lemon bars. She thinks Ina Gartens is the best.

I get raves every time I make Ina Garten's recipe for them, too:

Lemon Bars

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

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. 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.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, copyright 1999

Lori

This is the lemonbar recipe I use...posted by Ginger years ago I bake it in a smaller dish...think maybe 8 by 11...so they are thicker.

LEMON BARS DELUXE
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 sticks butter
4 beaten eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°.
Whisk together 2 cups of the flour & the confectioners' sugar.
Cut in the butter until the mixture clings together. Press the dough into a 13x9x2" baking dish.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar & lemon juice. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour with the baking powder; stir into the egg mixture & pour over the hot baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes longer. Remove from the oven & sprinkle w/confectioners' sugar. Cool. Cut into squares.~~

I love love lemon bars....and I think everyone else does too! But I did have some once that were awful...made with that dry lemonade powder....blech!
Linda C

I also use Ina Garten's recipe, but I really like the idea of brown sugar in the crust, like the Gourmet Magazine recipe posted by Alexa.

Maybe I'll have to try a combination of the two...

Annie

I made these and they were quite good. A slightly different taste because of the honey...

I used Meyer lemons but I did NOT like the almond in the crust..

I'll try them again some day soon without the lemon in the crust and with plain lemons.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scraping the Skillet Lemon Bars

Here is the one I use. It's the one I have used since i can remember....

Lemon-Butter Bars
Source: Land-O-Lakes

Crust

1 c flour
1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 c sugar

Filling

3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
3 T lemon juice
2 T flour
1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp baking powder

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine crust ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into bottom of ungreased 8 x 8 baking pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients except powdered sugar in small bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Pour filling over hot crust, continue baking for 18-20 minutes or until filling is set.

Dust with powdered sugar when cool. Cut into bars.

Makes 16 squares

Linda

Thanks to all for the wonderful recipes. I can't wait to try them. I think my granddaughter will love taste testing everyone on of them. The one from Gourmet Magazine sounds really fabulous. But they all do!!!

Thanks again everyone for your time to write these recipes for me. GW members are the best!!!!

This recipe is from a friend. They are wonderful. People who dislike lemon squares like these.

Glazed Lemon Squares

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter

filling:
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp lemon rind

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs melted butter

Combine flour, powdered sugar and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into greased 8 inch square pan. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Mix filling ingredients and spread over baked crust. Return to oven and bake at 325 for about 25 minutes. Cool. Blend glaze ingredients until smooth and frost. Cut into squares.

Hmm I can't find it but someone here has posted a lemon brownie recipe that is very good. Really good. Anyone know what I'm thinking of?

I have made the lemon brownies several times....easier and more tasty than lemon bars in my opinion
I have the recipe somewhere.......

INA GARTEN!!! This is the best lemon bar recipe I've ever tried. I do reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup in the filling. These bars are very tart and have a fabulously huge amount of "goo" ratio to crust. I'm all about the goo!

I'm thinking Fori and Carol are remembering Marilyn's(former member/poster) Lemon Brownies. Here is her recipe that I have.

Lemon Brownies (Marilyn)

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; room temperature
4 eggs
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Additional lemon zest for garnish
. Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom only of a 9X13X2-inch baking dish
with Parchment paper and spray with Pam. In a mixing bowl, stir
together flour, sugar and salt; add butter. Stir together eggs, juice
from 1/2 lemon and zest from 1 lemon; stir into batter and pour into
prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and
cool on a rack. When brownies are cool prepare glaze by stirring
together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon lemon juice; drizzle over
brownies and sprinkle with additional lemon zest.

*Recipe inspired by Orange Brownies by Robin Wilson, 39th Pillsbury
Bake-off finalists. Presented on the Food Network by Paula Deen.
(Original recipe called for more sugar and for orange extract, I think
the real thing is better.)

David

Best of both worlds here.... I made the crust recipe that I posted (with the brown sugar) and Ina's Lemon topping.... holy hat bands, Batman - they look and smell awesome!

I will report back when I cut them to take to the Meet tonight.

A

ALexa, or Lori, I'm in the process of making the Lemon Bar recipe you posted Alexa but Lori's filling does look yummy!

I have to travel with them tomorrow and they have to be finger eatable. Is the filling sturdy enough for that?

I think so... mine are still way too warm from the oven to cut, but they seem to be pretty solid. BTW - I used 5 eggs since that is what I had.

Alexa

All these great recipes keep coming in. I wish I could make every one of them but with the price of lemons, Yeeks.
I'm making them tomorrow and I paid 79 cents per lemon today. I bought 8 because I need some for another recipe and I like to have them on hand. Good heavens they are expensive here in Michigan. I haven't decided which recipe I'm going to use. They all sound so great. The brownies are sound fabulous also. I'll let you know which one I make and what my granddaughter thinks. She is the lemon bar judge.

WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bars I made got INHALED! They were gone in about 20 minutes, and one lady came over to whisper in my ear that she bought 6 to take home to her family for dessert tomorrow LOLOLOL!

They are quote sturdy and held up really well - love the brown sugar crust with Ina's filling... I am absolitely making them that way form now on.

Alexa

Oh, and lakemayor, welcome to the Cooking Forum from another Michigan member. If you're zone 4, you're north of me, I'm zone 5, about 50 miles north of Grand Rapids.

Nancy (wizardnm) is up in your area, I'll bet, she's near Charlevoix.

Annie

Hi Annie, Thanks for the welcome. Actually, I'm Zone 5 and I need to change it on GW but can't figure out how to do that. I'm south of you. I'm a little South of Kalamazoo if you know where that's at.

I did make Ina's recipe and it was the first dessert gone at our Lake Association picnic on Saturday. It was great. My granddaughter ate 3 pieces and then sad she felt a little sick. Ha She's 11 and lemon bars are her favorite.

Did you have a nice 4th???

Alexa, Thanks for sharing the findings of your experiment. I always love a good hybrid recipe; some of my best have been the result of compilations. I'll be making your version soon!

Lakemayor, see what you started? We are all wanting lemon bars now. I made some a few weeks ago, now I want more...

Welcome to the Cooking Forum (CF for short)!!
As you can see, it doesn't take much to get us going...
If you want, start a thread introducing yourself, that's the best way to get to know the regular posters. We are a very friendly group that loves to cook high quality good foods.

Nancy

lakemayor, I do indeed know where Kalamazoo is. (grin) My husband, Elery, lives in Spring Arbor for a while longer, works in Jackson. Sheshebop lives in Three Rivers and I drive there sometimes to visit, or we take the train from Kalamazoo and go to visit Peppi in Chicago.

Yeah, I had a great 4th, I saw you on my Independence Day thread. We'll have to meet you sometime if you decide you like us and want to stick around!

Annie

So Alexa - this is basically what you did?

BEST LEMON BARS EVER

Shortbread Base:
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter (no substitutions!)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 Tblsp. grated lemon zest (from 4 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350° F.

For the base: Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the shortbread base and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Yep that sure looks like it!

Alexa
***********************************************************

Lemon bars very best ever

This is a combination of the brown sugar shortbread from an Epicurious recipe and the Lemon topping from Ina Garten. It is the best of both worlds and possible the best ever.

Shortbread Base:
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan and with a metal spatula press evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shortbread is baking, prepare topping.
For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature (can be done with 5 but makes a chewier lemon part)
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (with pulp, no seeds)
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Oh my goodness, this is so much fun. Wizardnm, that is a great idea to introduce myself. What do I put as the subject posting??

Annie, I live between Marcellus and Decatur. It takes me 20 minutes to get to Three Rivers. I would love to meet sometime.

I feel another CF meeting coming on.....

Annie

Hi folks --

So this thread inspired me to make some lemon bars for a friensds BBQ. I first made the Ina recipe, and I have to say, I really didn't love the filling. Not lemony enough for me, and I thought the consistency wasn't quite as gel-like as I like, which I attributed to too much flour.

Then I found this recipe online, and made it... I thought it was a big improvement. Note that it is substantially tarter, as the ratio of sugar is 2:1 rather than the 3:1 in Ina's recipe... Also less flour than her recipe when it is halved (this recipe makes an 8x8 pan rather than a 9x13)... Note that I didn't make the lemon sugar a full day ahead -- more like an hour or two ahead, and it was still good and lemony. I brought both bars (Ina's and these) over to the party, and these were the consensus favorite.

Lemon Lovers Lemon Bars -- From A Mingling of Tastes Blog
The lemon sugar must be made one day ahead--see step one of the recipe. If you don't have time, just use one cup of plain sugar and 1 to 2 tbs. zest when you mix up the filling. Also, note that you must lower the oven temperature after baking the crust.

Makes 12 or 16

For crust:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks and chilled

For filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 3 lemons
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)

1. Make the lemon sugar: In a food processor, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest; pulse several times, until zest is very fine. Transfer to a shallow container or baking sheet and let sugar dry out at room temperature for several hours. Cover and chill overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or line with nonstick foil. In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar and salt; pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-size chunks of butter still visible. Transfer the crumbly mixture to the baking dish and press into the bottom and sides of the dish with your hands. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon sugar, flour and salt. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then whisk in the lemon juice. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust, return to oven and bake for 28 to 33 minutes. The center should be set, but still gooey when poked with a toothpick. Cool completely, at least two hours. Sift powdered sugar over the dish, cut into 12 or 16 bars and serve. To store, cover and chill.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemon Lovers' Lemon Bars Link