Before coming to Princeton, I spent a lot of time looking for easy, quick recipes with few ingredients but a large flavor profile. These lemon bars among the simplest, best tasting recipes I found. You only need five ingredients to make these lemon bars (six, if you use confectioner’s sugar), all of which are easily found on campus. I didn’t even have to buy a lemon; I just asked for one from the dining hall! Even though the only lemon flavoring requires very little juice, the tart flavor is unmistakable and a welcome change from the overly sweet desserts in the dining halls. When you’re looking for a switch up, give these sweet and simple lemon bars a try!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 1 8″ pan of bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
Filling:
2 eggs
3/4-1 cup white sugar, depending on desired sweetness
2 tablespoons of flour
1 lemon, juiced
Optional: Confectioner’s Sugar, for dusting
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the softened butter, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar. Use a fork to mash the ingredients together until the mixture begins to stick together.
Photo by Mark Zhang
- Press crust into bottom of ungreased 8″ round pan ( for a 13×9 pan, double recipe). Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is beginning to brown.
Photo by Mark Zhang
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together 3/4-1 cup sugar (depending on desired sweetness), 2 tablespoons of flour, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour this mixture over the baked crust.
Photo by Mark Zhang
- Bake for 20 more minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into 1-2″ squares.
- If desired, dust confectioner’s sugar on top of the cooled bars.