Citrus is in season right now and mouth-puckeringly delicious! There’s Cara Cara oranges, grapefruits, clementines and cuties (one of our favorite snacks). And, of course, our old favorite: the lemon. Lemons are available year round, unlike some of the other citrus that is available right now. My mom always made these in the rotation of cookies and bars that we had around as treats.
This recipe makes a small pan, so it’s perfect if you don’t want (or need!) them hanging around too long or if there’s just a few of you at home.
It starts with a simple crust that has powdered sugar in it instead of the regular granulated sugar. This makes the crust light and dissolve on your tongue, while still being incredibly rich.
Since this is a small batch of lemon bars, you only need a couple of lemons. The recipe actually calls for one lemon, but you could add in more lemon juice if you like it extra lemony.
This recipe comes together pretty quickly. First, make the crust. The crust is butter, sugar, flour and a pinch of salt that is best mixed together with your fingers. You want the texture of course cracker crumbs here, with a couple large pieces here and there.
Then you just press it evenly into your pan. Buttering the pan first is a good idea π
Bake it for 20 minutes, and meanwhile mix up your filling with a hand mixer.
Pour filling onto crust:
And bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool then cut into 9 bars (or smaller, if you want these bite sized. My mom said to do 16 squares)
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
These are rich, classic and a sunny treat for this stormy time of year.


- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Juice of 1 lemon, or 2 if you like things extra tart
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, blend the flour, butter, powdered sugar and salt, working the butter with your fingers until it resembles course cracker crumbs.
- Butter an 8x8 baking pan. Press the crumbly crust mixture into the pan in an even layer. Poke it with a fork to allow steam to escape and prevent bubbles. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until golden lightly brown on the edges.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, baking powder and salt. Beat with a hand mixer on medium-low until combined, about 3 minutes. Pour over the baked crust and bake for another 18-20 minutes, until lightly brown on top. Do not overtake.
- Let cool and slice into 9 (or 16) squares. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
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