Ina Garten lemon bars from Barefoot Contessa pour a tangy filling made with a full cup of lemon juice over a buttery shortbread crust. And the batch cuts into about 24 triangles at approximately 255 calories each, since the two-stage bake takes under an hour at 350°F.
Most lemon bar recipes use 1/2 cup of juice or less, but Ina doubles it to a full cup from 4 to 6 lemons. And she adds 2 tablespoons of zest on top of that, so the lemon flavor hits sharp and bright instead of sweet with a hint of citrus.
Chilling the crust before baking keeps the butter from spreading in the oven, because warm dough slumps and loses its built-up edge. And without that half-inch wall around the pan, the liquid filling leaks underneath and the bars fall apart when sliced.
Source: Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)
Ina Garten Lemon Bars
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
servings20
minutes50
minutes255
kcalCreamed butter and sugar press into a 9×13 pan with a half-inch edge and bake until lightly browned before the filling goes on. Then whisked eggs, sugar, lemon zest, juice, and flour pour over the warm crust and bake again until set.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose 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 (from 4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
- For dusting:
Confectioners sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven: Heat to 350°F.
- Cream the crust: Then beat the butter and sugar until light using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Add the flour: Once creamed, combine the flour and salt, then add on low speed until just mixed.
- Press into the pan: Then dump the dough onto a floured board, gather into a ball, and press into a 9x13x2 inch pan with a 1/2-inch edge.
- Chill the crust: Before baking, refrigerate the pan until the dough is firm.
- Bake the crust: Once chilled, bake for 15 to 20 minutes until very lightly browned, then cool on a wire rack.
- Make the filling: While the crust cools, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.
. - Pour and bake: Then pour the filling over the baked crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until set.
- Cool completely: Once the filling is set, let the pan cool to room temperature.
- Cut and dust: Then cut into triangles and dust generously with confectioners sugar before serving
FAQs
Why does the crust need to be chilled before baking?
The dough has a full half pound of butter in it, so room-temperature dough softens and spreads the moment it hits the hot oven. And that built-up half-inch edge melts flat without a chill, which means the liquid filling has no wall to hold it in place.
Even 15 minutes in the fridge firms up the butter enough to hold the shape during baking. So do not skip this step, because a slumped crust turns the whole pan into a sticky, leaking mess once the filling goes on.
How do I know when the filling is set?
The center should jiggle slightly like gelatin when you shake the pan, but it should not look wet or liquid. And the edges firm up first, so check the middle since that is always the last spot to set.
But do not overbake until the top cracks or browns, because the filling continues to firm as it cools to room temperature. Since the residual heat in the pan carries over for another 10 to 15 minutes, pull it while the center still has a slight wobble.
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh?
Fresh juice from 4 to 6 lemons gives the filling a brighter, more complex citrus flavor than bottled. And bottled juice often contains preservatives that leave a slightly metallic aftertaste, which stands out in a recipe where lemon is the star.
But if fresh lemons are unavailable, bottled works as a last resort without changing the texture of the filling. Since the zest adds most of the aromatic punch anyway, you can buy just 2 lemons for the zest and supplement the juice from a bottle.
How should I store lemon bars and how long do they keep?
Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate, because the egg-heavy filling needs to stay cold. And they keep well for up to 4 days in the fridge, since the shortbread crust stays firm under the chilled filling.
But dust the confectioners sugar on right before serving, because it absorbs moisture from the filling and dissolves within a few hours. And do not freeze these bars, since the filling weeps liquid when thawed and the crust turns soggy underneath.
Why does Ina cut them into triangles instead of squares?
Triangles are a Barefoot Contessa presentation choice that makes a simple bar look more polished on a platter. And each triangle exposes more of the bright yellow filling along the cut edge, which gives the dessert table a sharper visual impact.
But squares or rectangles work fine if you prefer uniform pieces for easier portioning. Since the filling is the same thickness everywhere, the shape does not affect the taste or texture at all.
