Lemon White Chocolate Gooey Bars | The Best Lemon Cookie Bars Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to cutting lemon bars? ›

A tomato knife is just right for this task. Unlike a chef's knife, which has a blade that is on the thick side, a tomato knife is sharp, but thin and delicate. Meaning, it won't smash or mess up the edges of your lemon bars the way other knives do. With this knife, you will get a clean cut without any jagged edges.

Make the filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, then the lemon juice until completely combined. Pour filling over warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles.

Underbaking: This is the most common reason for gooey lemon bars. The filling needs enough time to set, which can be tricky since oven temperatures can vary and the visual cues for doneness are subtle. Solution: Bake the bars until the filling is just set and no longer wobbles when you gently shake the pan.

Cracks - Cracks happen a lot when either when the lemon mixture if beaten a lot or you bake your bars at too high of a temperature and take them out of the oven. The dramatic change in temperature will sometimes create these cracks. They do not affect the taste, and you can cover it with powdered sugar.

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.

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).

Why are my lemon bars brown on top? Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer periodically to make sure the settings are correct. If you find that your desserts brown too quickly on the top, bake on a lower rack in your oven to prevent this from happening.

The most common reason for gooey lemon bars is they're undercooked. Be sure to bake them until the top is fully set and no longer jiggly in the middle. You'll also notice the edges will start to brown.

To Keep Powdered Sugar from Melting, Add Cornstarch

So go slow and be conservative with the amount of cornstarch you add. A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of cornstarch for every 1/4 cup of powdered sugar used.

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. (The cut bars can also be frozen in a single layer.)

Why do my lemon bars have bubbles? ›

AIR BUBBLES ON TOP OF BAKED LEMON BARS: The air bubbles on top of the baked lemon bars are completely normal. It's the air from the mixture rising to the surface. They come from the air of the beaten eggs. They rise to the surface when the eggs cook in the filling.

If your lemon bars have a strong eggy taste/smell, it's likely due to the lemon curd being overbaked. Be sure to take the lemon bars out of the oven as soon as they're done.

Origin and history

The first widely published lemon bar recipe was printed in the Chicago Daily Tribune on August 27, 1962, and submitted by Eleanor Mickelson. However, mentions of lemon bars and lemon squares can be found in earlier community cookbooks or small local newspapers.

To make precise and accurate cuts, insert three toothpicks, evenly spaced, along all four sides of the cooled bars. Cut diagonally across the bars beginning in one corner—the lower left corner is an easy place to make your first cut—and cutting from one toothpick to the next closest on the perpendicular side.

For a 9 x 13-inch pan, first cut the bars lengthwise into 4 equal-sized strips. Start with one cut down the middle from one short side to the other. Then cut a slice halfway between the edge of the pan and the center cut on both sides to make 4 long strips.