Home
Recipes
Lemon bars

Lemon bars

Name: Lemon bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Makes 12-15
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 175g plain flour; 50g ground rice; 85g golden caster sugar; 140g cold butter , diced; 1 tbsp milk; zest 3 lemons , plus 200ml/7fl oz juice (about 4 lemons); 3 eggs; 200g caster sugar; 25g flour; icing sugar , to dust

Sarah Cook

A star rating of 4 out of 5.38 ratingsRate

Try the Good Food app - subscribe today

Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:20 mins
- Cook:25 mins - 35 mins
Easy
Makes 12-15

Bake a batch of these gorgeous lemon bars for the perfect teatime treat. These citrusy, melt-in-the-mouth slices are hard to resist.

Skip to ingredients

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Sandwiches served on afternoon tea platter

Afternoon tea sandwiches

A star rating of 4.9 out of 5.13 ratings

Keep the whole family happy this summer with a delicious spread of sandwiches, perfect for an afternoon tea or buffet

For the slice base

175g plain flour
50g ground rice
85g golden caster sugar
140g cold butter
diced
1 tbsp milk

For the lemon topping

zest 3 lemons
plus 200ml/7fl oz juice (about 4 lemons)
3 eggs
200g caster sugar
25g flour
icing sugar
to dust

Nutrition: per serving

kcal278
fat12g
saturates7g
carbs42g
sugars26g
fibre1g
protein4g
salt0.2g
low

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a 21 or 22cm square, shallow baking tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, ground rice and sugar in a bowl with the butter and rub in until fine crumbs form. Stir in the milk with a cutlery knife. Tip into the tin and press down evenly. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden.
step 2
Remove the tin and lower oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the lemon juice and eggs, then sieve into a bowl with the sugar, flour and zest. Whisk to combine, pour over the base, then bake for 10-15 mins until the top is just set. Cool in the tin, dust with icing sugar, then slice.

Why are my lemon bars white on top?

This means a layer of air bubbles has risen to the surface – it’s completely normal.

Why won’t my lemon bars set?

Bake the lemon bars for at least 25 minutes before removing them from the oven. Also, be sure to bake the base until lightly golden first

What can I use instead of ground rice?

If you can’t find ground rice, you can use ground almonds as an alternative. Bear in mind that we haven’t tested this, but these will be a similar texture.

What happens if you overcook lemon bars?

The top of your bars will start to crack and they will become thick and chewy.

How do I know if my lemon bars are cooked?

Bake until the mixture has the same consistency as firm set jelly when removed from the oven – anything looser and your lemon bars will fall apart when sliced.

How long will lemon bars keep?

These lemon bars will keep for up to three days in an airtight container. Put squares of baking parchment between them so they don’t stick together. Lemon bars do not freeze well as they are too soft.

How to serve lemon bars

They are best served at room temperature – eat on their own or with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Tips for making lemon bars:

Wait for the base to cool slightly to room temperature before pouring over the filling – this will prevent the base from going soggy and the eggs in the filling from curdling
After 15 minutes of baking, gently shake the baking tray as you would a quiche – you want it to be set but with a slight wobble, which will set completely as it cools

Does it matter if you use fresh or bottled lemon juice?

We recommend using fresh lemon juice as it affects the flavour massively. The lemon juice you get in a bottle contains preservatives and has oxidised, so it tastes slightly bitter compared to bright, freshly squeeze lemon juice.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2010