- Get excited because I'm gonna teach you how
to make lemon bars.
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(Natasha groans)
Hey everybody.
It's Natasha of www.natashaskitchen.com
and this is the only recipe
for lemon bars that you're gonna need.
You'll love everything about it,
from that buttery shortbread crust
to the super lemony filling.
This is gonna make your mouth water.
So let's get started.
I learned how to make lemon bars from Ina Garten's recipe.
And I have loved these for years.
First, line a 13 by 9 baking pan with parchment paper.
Here's a fun trick for lining a baking pan.
Start by pinching the paper
to the corners of the baking pan.
Pinching the corners creates margins for your edges.
Now fold in all four sides, meeting at the corners.
Using scissors, cut a slit on each corner.
When you set that parchment paper into the baking pan,
it should slide in easily and be a nearly perfect fit.
You want the parchment paper
to go most of the way up the sides
so the filling doesn't spill over.
There you have it.
Easy and effective.
And this method works great for square pans or loaf pans.
Also, be sure
to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
First, we'll make that irresistible easy shortbread crust.
In the bowl of a stand mixer,
cream together half a pound of unsalted softened butter
with half a cup of sugar.
If you forgot to bring your butter
to room temperature, no worries.
Make sure you watch our quick video on how to soften butter
in five minutes.
Also, this is Superman, also known as my husband.
He's the man behind the camera.
We're gonna use the paddle attachment
on medium speed to cream together the butter and sugar.
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(mixer whirring)
Scrape down the bowl as needed
to make sure they're well blended.
Once those are well combined,
add one and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract,
two cups of all-purpose flour,
and a quarter teaspoon of salt.
I typically use a fine sea salt,
and if I ever use something different, I will let you know.
Continue mixing until the mixture is crumbly
and no dry flour streaks remain.
I find it slightly easier to transfer to the pan
and mold it to the pan
while the mixture's still slightly crumbly.
But if it does start forming into a dough, that's okay too.
(Natasha giggles)
Give the mixture a quick stir by hand
to make sure you don't have any dry pockets
of flour on the bottom.
Now transfer it into your lined baking pan.
Spread the dough evenly into the pan.
Then use your fingertips to flatten out
and even out the dough. (upbeat music)
You're basically creating cookie crust
and there's no need for perfection here.
Once you've molded the dough to the bottom of the pan,
place that in a preheated oven
and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes
or until it's lightly golden at the edges.
When it's done baking, transfer the pan
to a wire rack and let it cool slightly.
You can see the edges are lightly golden.
Usually while the crust is baking in the oven,
I will get started on making that lemon filling.
For this recipe, you'll need about five large
or eight medium lemons.
Always start by zesting your lemons,
because a squeezed lemon is incredibly difficult to zest.
You'll need about two tablespoons of fresh lemon zest
and make sure you're only getting the yellow peel
and not the bitter white pith underneath.
Set that aside.
Now it's time to squeeze one whole cup of fresh lemon juice.
The easiest way I've found to juice lemons is
to cut them in half, then use a citrus squeezer.
And I've used several different citrus squeezers
over the years and many of them tend to break,
but this one seems to last the longest.
I will link to this in the notes.
For the best flavor,
make sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
And use exactly one cup and not more,
so that it sets properly in the oven.
Now we're gonna make that lemon custard filling.
In a large mixing bowl,
crack seven large room temperature eggs.
Next, add three cups of granulated sugar.
And it may seem like a lot of sugar,
but the overall lemon bars are not too sweet
and well balanced with all that lemon juice.
Plus, this makes a big batch of lemon bars.
Thoroughly whisk together the eggs and sugar
until they're well blended.
Then add your one cup of lemon juice
and two tablespoons of lemon zest.
Now whisk, whisk, whisk until well blended.
Then add one cup of flour.
Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth
and you don't see any traces of dry flour.
Now pour that lemon custard filling
over your pre-baked crust.
The crust is usually still pretty warm
when I'm pouring the custard over it.
There's no need to wait for it to cool down completely.
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Pour the mixture right into the center of the pan
and it will even itself out.
Now transfer that to a preheated oven
at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes,
or until the filling is set.
The timing might vary depending on your oven,
but mine takes exactly 33 minutes
for a perfectly set center.
To test for doneness, give the pan a little jolt
and you should not see any wobbling in the center.
Also, if you see some golden-brown spots
on top of your lemon bars,
that's nothing to worry about and perfectly normal.
It'll all get covered up
with a heavy dousing of powdered sugar.
Once it's out of the oven,
let the pan cool at room temperature for at least one hour.
Then refrigerate for two hours before serving.
Oh, all right!
Things are about to get real because
this is a whole lotta lemon bars and I love lemon bars.
And if you don't love lemon bars yet,
it's just because you haven't tried these.
Alright, so lining with parchment paper is brilliant
because it's less cleanup
and you don't have to cut your pans and destroy your pans.
It lifts up easily.
So start by loosening it at the edges.
Make sure it's not stuck to the bottom at all.
Just loosen it up and then watch this.
Watch the magic.
Okay, so just a lift up one corner.
(cheers) Look at that.
Look at that.
Magic.
Okay.
I can't wait.
All right.
So now just kind of peel back the sides.
And I love the edges.
They have just a little bit of crispness to them.
So good.
Okay, once that's peeled back, we're gonna cut it
into even portions.
And we're gonna do big squares.
You can cut this into. let's see, 12.
You can cut it into 18, 20.
It just depends on how many people you're serving.
Okay. So here we go.
All right, and make sure you're cutting
all the way through that crust.
And it helps between slices,
just like with a cheesecake,
to use a damp paper towel to wipe the blade.
That way you get a clean cut.
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All right.
Now, all that's left to do is to dust the top
with powdered sugar.
This is optional, but it's not optional.
Okay, here we go.
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Oh, I cannot wait. (laughs)
My mouth is totally watering for this.
Oh, little extra sugar.
And I'm ready for this taste test.
How about you?
Look inside of this.
It is just lemony, gooey perfection.
It's just like the most delicious lemon custard.
Oh, and then look at that lovely cookie crust.
That shortbread crust.
It's like crisp on the bottom,
soft and buttery inside.
This is what lemon dreams are made of right here.
If you love lemon anything,
this is gonna be your new favorite.
Okay. And we're gonna take a bite
because I can't wait any more.
Okay.
Come to mama.
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This hits the spot.
I mean that top layer is so silky
and it packs so much fresh lemon flavor
and it's not too sweet and it's not too tart.
It is just right.
If you do use Meyer lemons,
however, you should cut back the sugar
because those are naturally not as sour.
But wow, wow, wow.
This will ruin every diet.
It's so worth it.
Wow. I'm speechless.
I gotta have another bite.
Oh!
I love that these are make ahead.
You can even freeze these
and I will leave instructions for freezing
and thawing in the recipe notes.
My oh my, these are a crowd pleaser.
Make them once.
You'll make them again and again,
because they're easy and so delicious.
I hope these become a new favorite for you.
Let me know in the comments below
what you'd like to see on our next videos.
And we'll see you later.
(upbeat music)
(Natasha giggles)