Lemon Bars Recipe {Easy} - Two Peas & Their Pod (2024)

FAQs

Why are my lemon bars gooey? ›

To avoid them being too gooey make sure you allow them to set completely when you take them out of the oven. You know when lemon bars are done when you move the pan a bit and they don't jiggle. You should cut the lemon bars when they are completely cool.

Simple baking tip…. ALWAYS use parchment paper. Use Pam or any good cooking spray.

Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freezing Instructions: Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Cut the cooled bars (without confectioners' sugar topping) into squares, then place onto a baking sheet.

Ingredients. Recipes vary slightly, but lemon bar recipes call for lemon juice, and many suggest fresh squeezed. Other ingredients include butter, white sugar, flour, eggs, and salt. Many recipes also list confectioners sugar, also called powdered sugar, for dusting on the top after the bars are baked.

Lemon bars should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated in order to prevent bacterial growth or foodborne illness. The filling in lemon bars is made with eggs and can become a breeding ground for bacteria if it's kept in the danger zone (between 41 and 153 degrees F).

Do lemon bars need to be refrigerated? Yes, it's best to store lemon bars in the refrigerator. To store them, simply cover them with plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge. Stored this way, your lemon bars should keep for about 1 week.

Line your 9x13 pan with foil or parchment paper. I've used both. Foil tends to stick to the bottom of the lemon bars a bit, so if I had to choose one, I'd say use parchment paper.

Prepare your chef's knife for cutting by coating with cooking spray and then wiping it clean with a paper towel. This step will help prevent the knife from sticking to the bars as you cut.

Don't Over-Bake.

If you leave them in the oven too long, it can cause your bars to crack. The surface of your lemon bars should have small bubble holes, but not large cracks.

Allow the lemon bars to cool for at least an hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for another two hours. Once chilled, remove from pan and peel away the parchment paper. I always dust with powdered sugar for a little visual contrast but that's optional. Use a SHARP damp knife to cut the bars.

Is it OK to freeze lemon bars? ›

Yes, lemon bars freeze beautifully—they are even good frozen! To freeze the bars, let them cool completely and freeze the batch whole, covered tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, for up to three months.

On average, there are 3 tablespoons of juice in one lemon. So, for a cup of fresh lemon juice, you would need 5 and a quarter lemons. But, because some lemons are less juicy than others, it's safe to say you'd need 5 and a half lemons for a cup of lemon juice.

– It's best to use a glass or a ceramic pan. Because if you use a metal pan, the acid will react with the lemon juice and the bars will have a slight metallic taste. – Also, make sure not to overcook the filling because it may get a rubbery texture instead of a smooth and creamy one.

The USDA says that you can safely keep lemon bars in the fridge for seven days, but The Kitchn recommends consuming the bars in three days. If you've made a whole batch just for yourself and can't finish all your lemon bars in a few days, another option is freezing them.

This will keep them from spreading and becoming sticky. Can you rebake undercooked lemon bars? Results may vary, but it's worth a shot! Throw them back in the oven at the original temperature and rotate every 5 minutes until it appears done.

Make sure your oven isn't too hot as this can cause the eggs to scramble instead of baking into a delicious lemon bar.

Lemons that have gone bad typically become very soft. They may become slimy, look shriveled, or contain visible mold. If your lemons display any of these signs, it's best to just toss them out.

The best treatment, is to wash the bugs and the stickiness off (and the bits which look like small blobs of glue, which are the baby bugs) with warm water and washing up liquid (really rub the leaves) rinse well and re pot in new soil. You can repeat this treatment if necessary, without re-potting the next time.