These Easy Lemon Bars have a short ingredient list with a creamy, lemony filling over a buttery shortcut crust. They’re bright, sweet-tart, and easy to make ahead, making them perfect for parties, potlucks, or a sunny dessert anytime.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Easy Lemon Bars
- Flavor: Soft, creamy, and sweet-tart with a buttery, crisp cookie crust underneath.
- Difficulty: Easy and quick to prep, but be sure to leave enough time for resting and chilling.
- Make-Ahead: These are ideal for making ahead since the filling needs time to chill and set for clean, creamy slices.
- Serving: Serve them on a platter with several other fruity dessert bars, like banana bars and apple pie bars.
Ingredient Notes
- Sugar Cookie Mix: Creates the perfect shortcut crust, no need to make your own from scratch.
- Butter: Softened butter blends into the cookie mix best, creating a crumbly, flavorful shortbread crust.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Adds creamy texture and sweetness to the lemon mixture without any extra ingredients.
- Egg Yolks: Add richness while helping the filling to set with that perfect, custard-like texture that classic lemon bars have.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Pulls it all together with that bright and zesty lemon flavor that these bars are loved for. For more lemon flavor, stir a little zest into the filling.
- Powdered Sugar: Give these lemon bars a bakery-style finished look and a little extra sweetness on top.
How to Make Easy Lemon Bars
- Make the cookie crust and bake.
- Whisk together the lemon filling ingredients and add to the warm crust.
- Bake until set (full recipe below). Let cool, then chill until firm.
- Once chilled, cut into squares and serve dusted with powdered sugar.
Quick Dessert Storage Tips
Store easy lemon bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Since the filling has eggs and sweetened condensed milk, keeping them chilled is important.
To freeze, place the bars in a single layer until firm, then stack with parchment between layers in a freezer container for up to 2 months.
Thaw in the fridge in a single layer, and add powdered sugar just before serving for a nice finish.
Easy Dessert Bars for Sharing
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Easy Lemon Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (17.5 ounce) pouch sugar cookie mix
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 tablespoon water
Lemon Filling
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 egg yolks *
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice juice from about 2 large lemons
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides (to make pulling the bars out of the pan easier).
- In a large bowl, mix the sugar cookie mix, flour, butter, and water until a crumbly dough forms. Press into the base of the prepared baking pan.
- Bake the crust for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- While the crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and lemon juice until the filling starts to thicken.
- Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the filling has set.
- Allow to cool in the pan, on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours more.
- Remove from the pan, cut into 16 pieces, and dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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