Lemon Squares
With a buttery shortbread and flavourful lemon filling it doesn’t get any better then these simple easy to make lemon squares. It’s the perfect mash up of tart and sweet.
Hey everyone it’s summer so that means lots of summer time treats using fresh summer ingredients and today’s recipe is no exception. Lemon squares who loves them…? I personally am not a fan of fruity desserts until I made lemon squares for a friend. She loves anything with lemon in it, the combination of sweet and tart is really a favourite of hers. So when I made these and had to see what the hype was about and I must say they were delish. I mean I can see why she likes them so much the creamy lemon filling and the buttery shortbread crust makes this one delish dessert and not too sweet. My mouth is puckering up just thinking about them already. They are bright, full of citrus flavour and a perfect summer time treat.
What you’ll need
- Melted butter forms the base for the shortbread crust.
- Flour is in both the crust and the filling to give it structure.
- Confectioner sugar adds a hint of sweetness in crust and for dusting on top.
- Granulated sugar for filling it works with eggs to set up the lemon filling.
- Eggs are the base for filling and provides structure and remember to bring them to room temp.
- Baking powder is your leavener and helps it rise
- Lemons of course the juice and the zest gives these squares a burst of citrus flavour throughout. Remember fresh squeezed juice is best.
This is one of the easiest recipe by far you make from scratch, prep time alone is only 10 mins.
When to know when they are done
These take about 20-25 mins to bake and you can tell when they are done when the center of the filling doesn’t jiggle. They continue to firm up as they cool.
Storing your Lemon Squares
These store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also place them in the freezer just wrap individual slices before dusting with confectioner sugar and freeze for up to 2 months. Then thaw in fridge overnight and dust with confectioner sugar before serving.
So with that said I hope you guys give this recipe a try and as always share your comments and please send me those pictures on my IG @marisblissfulbites I love seeing what you all are baking.
Happy Baking,
XOXO Mari!
Lemon Squares
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- ½ cup of melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup of flour
- ¼ cup of confectioner sugar
For Lemon Filling
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tbsps. of flour
- ½ tsp of baking powder
- 3 large eggs at room temp.
- 3 tbsps. of fresh lemon juice can use more depending on how tart you like it
- 1 grated rind of a whole lemon
- ¾ cup of confectioner sugar (to dust on top if baked squares)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper
For Shortbread
- Mix 1 cup of flour, butter and ¼ cup confectioner sugar until combined and press into pan and bake for 15 mins.
For Lemon Filling
- Mix sugar, flour and baking powder
- Add eggs, lemon juice and grated lemon rind and mix until combined
- Pour filling mixture over baked crust and bake for 20-25 mins
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15-20 mins to set (at this point you can top with remaining confectioner sugar). Remove from pan and set onto cooling rack and let cool for another 25-30 mins before cutting into