Lemon Bars

When life hands you lemons, make lemon bars! I am absolutely obsessed with this lemon bar recipe. I cannot believe how wonderful this dessert is. These lemon bars are sooo fresh and zesty. They’re the best lemon bars I’ve ever had! You’ll know in your first bite what I’m talking about.

Seriously, why is the phrase “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade” so popular? If more people made this recipe, the phrase would likely change to “make lemon bars.” Lemonade better watch out!

Not only are these lemon bars ridiculously good, they’re so easy to make. All their flavor comes from fresh lemon zest and juice. Wait until the very last minute to squeeze and zest your lemons so your bars are as fresh as possible. I am so crazy about this recipe that I want to try it using other fruits like limes and oranges. Doesn’t that sound good?!

I hope your Spring is going well. We did some much needed Spring cleaning over the weekend. Isn’t it unbelievable how much stuff you acquire in a year?! These lemon bars made a lovely snack throughout our productive weekend. Lemon bars truly are the perfect Spring dessert.

My biggest achievement was cleaning out our refrigerator. Oh my word, we love to cook and bake so you can only imagine how many unused ingredients and leftovers were lurking in there. Yikes, but now it’s totally clean (which hopefully lasts!).

If you love this dessert because of the fruit/dessert combo, make sure to check out my chocolate covered strawberries. Happy Spring! And remember, when life hands you lemons, make lemon bars!

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups & 2 tbsp. white sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• zest of 2 lemons
• lemon juice from 2 lemons, freshly squeezed
• 2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 °F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl whisk together 1 & 1/2 cups sugar, flour, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 2 tbsp. sugar. Press graham cracker mixture into bottom of baking dish. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated 300 °F oven.
4. Increase oven temperature to 350 °F. Whisk lemon mixture again and pour on top of graham cracker layer. Bake in preheated 350 °F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center congeals. Let cool completely before removing from pan. Serve as squares. Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top (optional).