These Gluten Free Lemon Bars have a light, sweet shortbread base, a thick, tangy layer of lemon curd, topped with a dusting of icing sugar. Just the way lemon bars should be.
In my mind, I always had this vision of what lemon bars should be like. They should have a light crust, and be topped with a lot of lemon filling before being sprinkled with powdered sugar.
I tried making lemon bars a few times, and was always disappointed with them because they had this thin, thin layer of lemon. I know some of you may like them that way, but I wanted my gluten free Lemon Bars to be loaded with lemon.
After searching around the world wide web a bit, I came across Ina Garten’s recipe for Lemon Bars. These bars looked promising, all I needed to do was convert them to contain no gluten.
Success! But I didn’t stop there. I tweaked the recipe a little further, reducing the sugar slightly, to give a nice thick, tangy gluten free Lemon Bar.
The smell when you are preparing the filling for these bars is amazing. I love the smell when you zest a lemon (or any citrus fruit, really) – it is so refreshing.
These gluten free Lemon Bars converted really well, and when we had them for dessert last night, my husband just says “They taste just the way I thought they should”. Finally, a lemon bar recipe that lives up to my standards and his. My daughter was sure to ask for some for her lunch kit today. My son has been begging me for a piece since 8:30 this morning.
Yes, these gluten free Lemon Bars are exactly how I think lemon bars should be.
Gluten Free Lemon Bars (the Way Lemon Bars Should Be)
These Gluten Free Lemon Bars have a light, sweet shortbread base, a thick, tangy layer of lemon curd, topped with a dusting of icing sugar. Just the way lemon bars should be.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (160 g) rice flour (white or brown)
- 2/3 cup (115 g) potato starch
- 1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca starch
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- pinch salt
For the Filling:
- 7 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
- 1 cup (250 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (I needed 5 lemons to get 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup (120 g) rice flour (white or brown)
- 1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca starch
- Icing or Confectioners' Sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- Line a 9x13-inch (33x23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, so the paper rises up the sides - I had it run up the 13" sides, and left the 9" sides bare. (This will make removing the squares much easier, as you can lift them out once they are cooled.)
- For the crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flours & salt, and slowly add to the butter/sugar mixture while the mixer is on low. Mix just until it is combined. Dump the dough into your prepared pan, place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top, and press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan, building up a 1/2-inch (1 cm) edge on all sides.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before adding the filling. Do not turn the oven off yet, you still need it.
- While the crust is baking, you can prepare the filling. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, rice flour and tapioca starch. Pour the filling into a large spoon that you are holding about 1-inch (2.5 cm) above the pre-baked crust. This will stop the crust from eroding away where you are pouring it. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. It is alright if it still has some wiggle when you remove it from the oven, it will set more as it cools. Let cool to room temperature.
- To remove from pan, cut along 9" edges, and use the parchment paper to lift the bars out and onto a cutting board. Using a sifter or wire sieve, dust the top of the bars with icing/confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares, and serve. If you don't plan to serve them immediately, wait to sprinkle them with the confectioners' sugar, since it will melt over time.
Notes
Adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Recipe and images updated March, 2016.
Whit says
I've done the same thing with a non-gluten free lemon square recipe and they turned out great. The crust was more of a shortbread though, but these look amazing! I'm going to add them to my recipes-to-try list 🙂
Alison says
Hi Jeanine-I have made these GF Lemon Bars several times and have to congratulate you on a fantastic recipe. Working full time, I don’t have time to come up with GF recipes but your website is my “go-to” place for the best GF recipes. Thanks for making my life easier!! xx
Jeanine says
@Whit Thanks, Whit! If you try them, let me know your thoughts. 🙂
Maggie says
These look gorgeous. Can you believe I only tried lemon bars a couple of years ago? I was in love (it had a lot to do with the shortbread-style crust of course). I need to work on an egg-free version! Congrats on a lovely looking lemon bar.
Charlemeine says
I made them with egg replacer. They just came out of the oven and are cooling. They look and smell great! I added 10 tsp. Egg replacer and enough warm water to make the egg replacer thick. The rest of the recipe remained the same. My husband is lickng his chops…lol
STNC&C says
How did this turn out with the egg replacer?
Jeanine says
@Maggie Thanks, Maggie! You know, because of you I did a search for an egg-free lemon curd. It is possible, and I'm sure you could come up with something that would work for lemon bars quite well. After seeing your egg free breads, anything is possible!
Susan says
they look just perfect…the lemon is making my mouth water…
Anonymous says
these look and sound AMAZING!!! LOVE your website, thank you so much for yet another great recipe
Jeanine says
@Susan Thanks, Mom! 🙂
Jeanine says
@Anonymous Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy them!
laurie says
Your photo looks fabulous. One of the first gf recipes I tried was for lemon bars. Unfortunately I am the only one in the house that likes them, so… I ended up eating the whole pan:( Maybe its time to make another batch, only this time I will give some away!
Jeanine says
@laurie Thank you, Laurie! Hmm…a whole pan to yourself, I could think of worse things. 😉
georgescookie says
this really inspires me to jump out out of bed and into the kitchen to whip me up a batch of these. they look soooo. delicious.
Jeanine says
@georgescookie, Yeah! So glad to hear that. Enjoy the time in the kitchen!
Couldn't Be Parve says
Wow! These look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I have some meyer lemons in my fridge and this might be the perfect place to use them!
singh from dominos india says
Great photography! I've just discovered your blog and I'm drooling staring at all these beautiful photos and recipes.
Jeanine says
@Couldn't Be Parve, Thank you. This really is a good use of lemons. 🙂
Jeanine says
@singh from dominos india Welcome here, Singh. Thank you so much for the kind comment, I appreciate it.
betty r says
Oh Jeanine, these lemom bars are just plain gorgeous and I'm thinking they taste as good as they look!!
I have tried many lemon bar recipes much to the delight of my daughters. We can't seem to say no to 'anything lemon':)
betty r says
Really now I can spell 'lemon'..there..I did it:)
Jeanine says
@betty r, Thank you, Betty! They really do (did) taste as good as they looked. Love the Lemons! 🙂
Jaye Tee says
Jeanine these look fabulous! Lemon bars are a weakness of mine. I guess I have to come out of my attempt to avoid sugar and whip up some of these! Very beautiful!
Jeanine says
@Jaye Tee, Thank you, Jaye Tee, I appreciate it. 🙂 Sorry to pull you back to sugar. Eep! I wonder if you could use natural sugars in place of the white sugar?
georgescookie says
thanks so much for the info i will definitely try it out this weekend. thanks again.
freeeats says
Wow! Beautiful photos and the bars look lovely. I will be trying these this weekend with some Meyer lemons that need a job. Mine will have to be dairy-free as well as gluten-free, but that won't deter me! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
Katia says
Yum, they sound delicious. I also love a lot of lemon – that is the best bit, the biscuit should just be there to support the lemon!!
Jeanine says
@georgescookie, You're welcome!
Jeanine says
@freeeats, Thank you. 🙂 Dairy free shouldn't be too hard to do, I'm sure they'll turn out fine. Let me know what changes you make!
Jeanine says
@Katia, Exactly! The cookie is just there to keep the lemon on your fork on the way to your mouth. 🙂
Couldn't be parve says
These look great. How long do you think they would keep well? I need to make something for Saturday and want to get a head start and these would be perfect.
Kim-Cook it Allergy Free says
Yes. I will say for sure that this is the way lemon bars SHOULD be. Absolutely gorgeous!! This will be a huge treat for my Mother in Law. She loves lemon bars!!
And congrats on getting your photo approved for tastespotting!! So cooL! 😉
Jeanine says
@Couldn't be parve, If you need them for Saturday, I would bake them on Friday, but only dust with confectioners' sugar a bit before serving. Otherwise, the sugar will dissolve into the squares. HTH!
Jeanine says
@Kim-Cook it Allergy Free, Thanks, Kim! I hope your MIL enjoys them. We're loving the lemon bars too, once the pan was empty my 5 year old says "I know how we can get more…just make some!" 🙂
Anonymous says
These were AWESOME — thanks so much. My 15 yr old GF boy was speachless — no really — all he could say was "OH man" and grab two more squares.
Pat @ Elegantly, Gluten-Free says
These look like just what I need for a lemon fix! Can’t wait to try them!
JL says
These look amazing, I’m planning to make some today, just wanted to double check that the amount of flour in the lemon curd is 1 CUP? Sounded like alot compared to other recipes I’ve read. Thanks for all the amazing recipes you post!! I really think you should open a gluten free bake-shop……preferably in San Diego!!! 🙂
Jeanine says
Thanks, JL! I’d love to open a bake shop, but San Diego is far from home for me. 😉
Yes, it is 1 cup, it probably seems high because, well, these lemon bars have twice the thickness of lemon compared to most bars. Enjoy!!
Heidi says
Is there a substitute I can use for the xanthan gum?
Jeanine says
Hi Heidi,
you could try omitting it, but then your crust might be a little crumbly.
Linda says
Made these this afternoon…yummy! I didn’t have any powdered sugar so I added a little granulated sugar to an 8oz carton of Marscapone, spread it on the cooled bars and refrigerated. Creamy and tasty.
Just happened upon your sight today while Google-ing recipes. I’m already hooked…will return again often I’m sure. Thank you!
JoAnn Bertram says
I made these bars today with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour. I used the food processor to put together the crust, baked it, and added the filling mix. I had used just half the crust mixture in a 9 x 13 pan and baked it for 15 minutes at 350. The filling I changed slightly, zest of two large lemons, the juice of the two lemons, plus enough bottled lemon juice to equal 7/8 cup, 6 eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract, and 2/3 cup GF flour. When I poured the filling in, I almost panicked. The crust broke up as I poured it in. Decided to wait until it was baked, cooled and chilled. It came out great! Wonderfully lemony taste. It’s on our Christmas list for GF cookies for a friend who has to eat GF. (Also the Bon Appetit Peppermint Meringues). Thanks for the great recipe!
Jeanine says
JoAnn, I had the same problem the second time I made them. I think the crust needs to sit for 5 minutes before pouring the filling in. However, like yours, it worked great in the end. Phew! 🙂
Melanie says
These are outstanding! Gifted them around the neighbourhood since I didn’t need to eat the whole pan myself and both my MIL and a neighbor thought these were better than the gluten version. We loved how the crust wasn’t as heavy as normal and it all just becomes a nice lemony melt in your mouth treat. Will be making again for sure!
Jeanine says
Perfect!! I wish I were your neighbor. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback, Melanie!
Sarah says
Hi,
My mom has been gluten-free for a while now and she has been testing out different recipes to try and find foods that she can eat that also taste good. I found this recipe and made the lemon bars for her and they came out fantastic she is so excited to share this recipe with a group that she meets with every month!
Thank you!!
Sarah
Jeanine says
Wonderful!! Gluten free definitely doesn’t mean that we have to sacrifice all the treats in life. 🙂 It CAN taste good too!
Jamie says
These were AHmazing! I subbed coconut oil for the butter, and baked the crust until little bubbles were forming (longer than the recommended cook time). Not sure if that was the right thing to do, but they tasted soooo good!! Thank you!
Bryn says
I hope you don’t mind, but I added this recipe to pinterest. It’s amazing and everyone should know about it. I also added your Lemon Cake recipe. A link to the recipes are included in the pin!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Bryn! I <3 Pinterest!! Thanks for the add! 🙂
Anna says
I cut this recipe in half because I am the only one who eats sweets, it turned out AWESOME!!
Jeanine says
Glad to hear that, Anna! what size pan did you use if you halved it?
Elise says
These couldn’t look more delicious Jeanine. I agree- lemon bars should be mostly lemon. And what an amazing yellow colour!
Karin says
These are fantastic!!! I made these yesterday and am so happy with the results. Great consistency once cooled and loaded with lemon flavor.
I made a few small changes:
1) I used salted butter so there was no need to add salt
2) I used a chopper to grind the lemon zest
3) I reduced the sugar in the filling from 2.5 cups to 2 cups. I like my lemon bars tart – not sweet – and this was the perfect amount for me.
Also a note – it took a while for the dough to form.. It just looked like a floury dry mess at first and I was tempted to add almond milk but I’m glad I didn’t, because as I worked with it, it did finally end up being dough-like without the added liquid. I also used a spatula to even out the dough in the pan after pressing it in with my fingers.
Thanks for a fab recipe!!!
Lyndsay from CHARMED says
I LOVE lemon bars. The colour of these is just gorgeous! I’m going to make these for my Easter brunch and am excited to have such a wonderful dessert in my gluten free repertoire! If they turn out as well as I know the will, I want to bring these to my next staff meeting as one of our staff members is gluten intolerant. It’s exciting to surprise her with a treat she can have too!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Lyndsay! That would be so sweet to bring something that the person who can’t eat gluten could enjoy as well. 🙂 I found that you have to pour the filling onto the crust carefully, best to pour it down a spoon. But, even if you think the crust is falling apart when pouring, it still bakes up (and serves) beautifully. 🙂
Cathy says
YUMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hammy says
These looked amazing and I had high hopes but they totally didn’t work for me. I used the flour mix you recommended and subbed coconut oil for the butter since I can’t have dairy. I don’t know what went wrong since everyone else seemed to like them but I probably won’t give them another try because the ingredients are too expensive to have to throw away another batch (yeah, they were that bad). Sorry.
Jeanine says
Sorry to hear that, Hammy. I wonder if something like Earth Balance would have been a better substitute than coconut oil. I’m not sure, since I haven’t used either. Did the filling not even turn out? Odd…
Hammy says
The crust was the main issue. I haven’t tried earth balance because I can’t have soy either and haven’t been able to find their soy-free version anywhere, but I’ll keep that in mind. It looks like a few others used coconut oil as a substitute and liked how it turned out so I’m not sure why mine was such a disaster. It also did this weird thing where part of it separated and seeped through and made a weird tasteless gelatinous rubbery layer UNDER the crunchy part of the crust…that was the main reason I just had to throw them out. I don’t really have any explanation for that.
Jeanine says
Oh, that is really strange. I have no idea why it would do that, doesn’t really make any sense. Well, one day when you find a soy free, dairy free ‘butter’, you’ll have to try again. 😉 Wonder if it matters if you refrigerate the crust for 1/2 hr before baking, to solidify the coconut oil more? I’m not sure…just a thought.
Aisha Alkhani says
We also have soy allergies in addition to dairy and gluten and use Earth Balance that has a soy free version now. You might also want to try Spectrum Organic Butter flavor shortening. I have had really good luck substituting butter with both of these products!
Laura says
Jeanine,
My daughter made these for Easter along with Cybele Paschal’s ginger carrot cake. We followed the recipe just as it is written and it turned out perfectly. None of our relatives could believe they were gluten-free! Everyone loved the lemon bars!! THANK YOU for sharing your recipe! It will be among our family favorites. Blessings to you and your family!
Jeanine says
Awesome, Laura! 🙂 I’ve been craving these lemony squares for a while already, I may just have to break down & bake them (I’m sure no one here would mind).
Helen says
The base was a pretty odd texture so wasn’t quite sure it would turn out ok. But the lemon bars turned out perfectly and were super delicious. I used 1 cup of sugar in the filling instead of 2 1/2 and they still turned out very sweet. When I make them again, I will reduce the sugar even more to suit my European palate. I will definitely make these again though!
Jeanine says
Glad to hear that it worked for you, Helen! wow, you must like them very tart, not sure I could do that. 🙂
Kate says
These bars were EXCELLENT! Made it for my dh’s Bday and he loved them. The problem with the recipe is that you can’t stop eating the darn things…
Kate says
I should mention that I used salted butter (since that’s what I had on hand), left off the salt, then used Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo flour mix. I used way more lemon zest than the recipe said and a bit less sugar. Also, I didn’t dust the top b/c it just didn’t need it.
Jeanine says
Haha, perfect, Kate! Glad to hear they were a hit. And thanks for sharing the changes you made as well, nice to know that it still worked with them. 🙂
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe!
As mother of a celiac child, it’s been very hard to find baked goods that he will enjoy and not feel deprived. As for myself, it’s been more than frustrating with all the failures I seem to have. This is defiantly one recipe that will become a staple in my personal GF recipe collection.
I do have a question though. Can you tell me if it freezes well and if so, how long can I freeze it for?
Thanks again I’m very grateful!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Elizabeth
Milaca, MN
Jeanine says
So glad to hear that it was a success, Elizabeth! 🙂 Make sure you check out the other recipes, I’m sure you’ll find more recipes that will please both you and your child.
I am sorry though, I have no idea how it freezes, I’ve never tried freezing this version, or a regular, gluten filled version.
Fran says
These were so good I couldn’t keep them out of my mouth! My family usually shares our GF baked goods with some other GF people we know but we (my two teen daughters and I) kept these all to ourselves. So good and thank you for bringing lemon bars back into my life!
Jeanine says
Haha, sometimes, things are just too good to share!! 🙂 So glad to hear that you guys loved them, I know they were a hit here too. 🙂
Kim says
I was hesitant to try these only because lemon bars I’ve tried to bake in the past haven’t turned out well at all. But I had several lemons that had to be used up, so I bit the bullet and forged ahead. The crust dough was pretty hard to deal with due to the consistency but I finally got it spread decently. That was the only challenge. The bars turned out great and everyone loves them. I reduced the sugar in the lemon mixture to 2 cups and it’s just right. Thanks!!!
Jeanine says
Perfect!! Glad to hear that they worked out for you!
jessica says
I made these for a party on Sunday, where I knew there were a couple other Gluten free people were going to be. they turned out great!! Everyone loved them! GF and Those who were not!! Next time I would like to try them with a little less sugar. Have you ever tried using a sugar substitute?? I wonder if they would still work the same? And my crust was a little crumbly. Did I need more Zantham? Thank you though!!!
genie says
Made this to satisfy the family’s sweet tooth at night. Baked it on a 8×8 glas, baked the filling for 45 minutes. Yum!!!!!!!
Jeanine says
Sounds great, genie! I bet the filling was super thick in an 8×8! 🙂
Lori F. says
OMG! I just made these and tried a tiny corner piece! PERFECTION! I’m soooo very glad I found this recipe! THANKS!
Jeanine says
My pleasure, Lori, glad to hear they were a HIT! 🙂
Julie says
FABULOUS. Thanks for sharing the recipe for the gf flour blend. Will try with less sugar next batch for a more tart flavor. Froze a bunch so hope they turn out. Just couldn’t eat the entire batch between the two of us. Not that we didn’t want to gobble them all up!
Jeanine Friesen says
My pleasure, Julie! Glad that you liked them, let me know how they freeze, as ours have never made it there. 🙂
Mallory says
Can you make the curd in advance?
Mallory Brown says
One more question, for the flour:
The all-purpose gluten-free flour mix that I use is from Cybele Pascal. It is as follows: 4 cups superfine brown rice flour, 1 1/3 cups potato starch (not flour), 2/3 cup tapioca starch.
It looks like in the recipe you only require 3 cups total why does it seem like the mixture equated for 6 cups. Does it just make extra?
Rose says
Hi, if I am making this the night before serving do I need to refrigerate or just cover tightly and leave on counter? Can’t wait to try it…thanks!
Jeanine Friesen says
Hi Rose, I think because it is a curd made with a lot of eggs, it is best to refrigerate it. I’m not sure if it will stay set properly (or stay safe to eat) if it is left out on the counter overnight.
Sherry says
These were wonderful! A lot of work, but worth it. Gave half the pan to my gluten-free friend, but my husband and I gladly devoured the rest!
Jeanine Friesen says
Thanks, Sherry! Some things are a lot of work, but worth it in the end. 🙂
Amy says
The BEST!! When no one knows they’re GF, people I’ve served them
to prefer them over regular lemon bars and rave about the flavor & texture.
Jeanine Friesen says
yeah! That’s such a compliment, Amy! 😀
Angelica says
I made these last night and they were delicious! My crust looked different than yours does in the picture, and I’m wondering if you can add any detail about how you prepare it. Do you add water? Was your crust more like a dough or in pieces when you put it in the pan? And did you bake it until it was set and a knife came out clean, or did you pull the bars out earlier? Thank you!
Jeanine Friesen says
The crust is really quite dry, from my recollection. Sort of a powder dough that you press into the bottom of the pan. I made it exactly as written. I believe I baked it (with the filling) for 35 minutes, then let it cool completely before slicing or removing from the pan. Refrigerating it overnight works well for that.
Tiina says
This recipe looks delicious and I really want to bake them, but I can’t have eggs. Has anyone found a good way to replace them in the recipe? I’m still a novice to no eggs, and have only used egg replacer but I don’t know that it would work here.
Thank you!
Felicia says
These are the best Lemon Squares EVER!! I have always made Lemon Squares for every party or event, and when I had to stop eating gluten, I searched for a great recipe to replace the one that I had always used, this is a fantastic recipe and everyone who ate my gluten squares enjoys these just as much if not more! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
Steohanie says
Hi. These are fabulous!
Looks like a few people have tried to freeze these but no one has said if they freeze well. Can someone let me know please? I would like to make these for my son’s teacher for the end of the year and I have the time now to bake!! Thanks!
Jeanine says
Good question Steohanie! I’ve never tried freezing them either. I’ll ask on FB and let you know if anyone has experience with freezing them.
Steohanie says
Thank you Jeanine!
Stephanie says
I frozen the first batch and pulled them out last night. I tried them this morning and they are great!! Just need to re-dust them with the owed erred sugar as it all melted into the bar. So for those wondering THEY FREEZE VERY WELL.
Jeanine says
Ack, Stephanie, I’m so sorry! I meant to ask on FB, then forgot. DUH! Just asked now, but I see you’ve already got your answer. 🙂 But I’m really glad that you gave them a try and now we know the answer – they freeze well! Yeah!! 🙂
Bree says
Saved this link bc they are my family’s favorite lemon bars. I just went and bought the gf flour I used to use and now I see that you have changed the recipe. Was hoping to make them for Easter. Anyway I can get the old recipe? They were always perfect for us!
Jeanine says
The old recipe was the same, just used an all purpose blend. This is the same flours as that blend, only broken apart, since I no longer store blends in my cupboard. So you can just use a blend instead of the individual flours. All good. 🙂
Dottie Ricketson says
I want to make these but just for my hubby and I – 9×13 seems too big….would it work to simply cut all the ingredients in half and make it in an 8″ square pan? Any suggestions?
Dottie Ricketson says
I took a picture but can’t figure out how to attach it – I live at altitude and I made this recipe exactly as stated except I ran out of potato starch so I combined the tapioca starch with arrowroot for the crust. My crust ended up to be about 50 percent of the bar, the other 50% was the filling. In your picture, your crust is so thin and the filling so thick….any suggestions to keep the crust from rising so much so that it is, in fact, just a carrier for the very lemony, lovely filling?
Elle says
Stumbled across these on Pinterest – these look amazing!! Can’t wait to try them myself!
Nicole says
I must have a very hot oven because I only cooked mine for 30 minutes and the edges were overlooked so that they became rubbery – not good! The middle of the pan was wonderful. Great flavor.
Nicole
Natalie says
Delicious. The crust was chewy but I’m going to try it again when it cools and I’m sure it will be crunchy. I used bottled lemon juice and 1/2 TB lemon extract. Came out great. Thanks!
Christine says
These lemon bars are the best! My 6 year old son even requested I make these as his birthday “cake.” I have made them a few times now. Each time I have halved the recipe, I use 4 (smaller sized) large eggs and baked in a 8×8 dish. We cannot have dairy so I substituted earth balance vegan butter. After pressing the dough onto the bottom of the pan, I placed in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to firm it up before baking. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Christine says
Forgot to mention, I also decreased my oven temp to 325 for the last 10 min of baking as I make it as a half recipe plus my oven is convection
Melissa says
This recipe looks so good and I love lemon bars so much, that I would love your advice, Jeanine, on what could have gone wrong, as these were an epic fail on my first try making them today. I followed the recipe exactly with no substitutions and weighed the dry ingredients. I used white rice flour and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, measured to exactly 1 cup. My eggs and butter were at room temp. I lined my 9×13 baking pan with parchment overhanging the long sides only, as suggested in the recipe and let my crust sit and cool for 5 minutes before pouring the filling in over a big spoon. I have a thermometer in my oven, which measured the temp at exactly 350.
The filling was very thin when I poured it in and it ran right under the crust on one end, making a huge mess in my pan and making the crust bubble up on that end with virtually no filling left on top. Although the filling stayed on the top of the crust at the other end of the pan, it all baked up overly firm, to the point of being unpleasantly firm and very gummy. They ended up being inedible. 🙁
I can’t think what I did wrong, as I was so careful to follow the recipe and I’m an experienced GF baker. Any ideas?
Jeanine says
I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, Melissa, and I just really don’t know what to say. I’m not sure what could have gone wrong. 🙁 I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you. Sometimes, it’s just one of those things.
Jess says
I made these and brought them to my dad’s for Christmas dessert. Fantastic recipe, absolutely perfect!!!