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Ok. We can't let summer pass without lemon bars. Necessary to the season right? Well first off, mine are a little different than your classic lemon bar. I like to use brown sugar to give the crust more flavor and a denser texture. Brown Sugar Lemon Bars friends!
Camping update: SURVIVED! Sat on a beach, stared at the gorgeous Pacific ocean, ate a bag of Cheetos and drank rather tasty red wine from a box. A mixture of camping and glamping I'd say. Camping: Had to carry all of our stuff about ¾ of a mile on a beach to get to the site. Glamping: Dan went back to the car and got bacon in the morning for breakfast that we left in a cooler, along side cheesy eggs, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls. It was marvelous. Oh and also more Cheetos. Because obviously.
Back to the Brown Sugar Lemon Bars. There's nothing quite like that sweet gooey filling on top of a short bread crust. Other than the brown sugar crust, this is pretty similar your classic lemon bar recipe. I have noticed that not all recipes use lemon zest. I LOVE adding lemon zest to my bars. It gives the filling even more lemony taste without making the batter too thin. I also add a little vanilla extract, just for extra yummy flavor. Gotta have it!
Basically, you just need these in your life. Test out this new brown sugar twist and I'm sure you'll be loving my Brown Sugar Lemon Bars as much as the traditional kind!
PrintBrown Sugar Lemon Bars
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 24 1x
Ingredients
For the Crust
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Pinch of sea salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
For the Filling
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups white sugar
- ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- Confectioner's sugar to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9X13 baking dish.
- Make the crust: In a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the salt and sugar and, using the paddle attachment, stir in flour and salt until combined.
- Press the crust mixture firmly onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish, evenly covering the surface.
- Place on a middle rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until just turning golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
- While crust is cooling, make the filling: In a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest until completely combined. Add flour and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the filling over the cooled crust.
- Place on a middle rack in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set (a little jiggle is ok, it will firm up more as it cools). If the top starts to brown, place a piece of foil gently over the top of the baking pan.
- Remove and let cool. Once the pan is cool, cut into desired bar shape and dust with confectioner's sugar.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Dan
These are some serious lemon bars. They look small and bite-sized, but they are not. Don't try to eat too many because they are filling! Delicious.
Margaret
Simple to make recipe, and so delicious! Will be my new go to dessert recipe! Made a half size batch in a small square pan since I didn't have enough of the ingredients, worked out great.