I know. It’s still Christmastime and all, which doesn’t really scream lemon. Unless you think about Vitamin C and keeping colds and other things far, far away. Yes, lemon suddenly does make sense. I wasn’t really going for health food when I baked these gorgeous bars though. Butter, sugar and a little more butter don’t qualify as said food, but I’ll take anything that gives me a good excuse to take a bite out of these scrumptious bars.
To be honest, I felt like being a rebel this year. Instead of making traditional Christmas bars, I wanted to make something that wasn’t common this time of the year. Oddly enough, they couldn’t be more fitting. These Lemon Pucker Bars are so comforting, rich, and go perfectly with a warm cup of tea or coffee.
Lemon Pucker Bars are not for the faint of heart. They’re rich, thick and sweet packed with a punch of lemon. Enough to brighten your palate as well as your eyes. I can’t stop staring at the lovely yellow hue and the buttery crumb topping. A welcome sight when the winter weather won’t allow the sun to shine through. Take a break with a pan of these sunny goodies. There’s so much goodness to sink your teeth into. And that’s one thing the holidays are all about: Food you can’t get enough of!!! Sorry for getting a little excited there.
Mmmmm. You might want to prepare these bars for your holiday party this weekend or just because you can’t resist a good lemon bar.
It pays off to be a rebel once in a while, ha! Wishing you all a delicious weekend!
Here’s my favorite quote of the week:
“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.
- 2 1/2 - 3/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup butter, cut in small pieces
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups water
- 5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- zest of 3 lemons
- juice of 3 lemons
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 1. Starting with the lemon filling, combine cake flour, corn starch, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat and take out 1/2 cup of the mixture. Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of the corn starch mixture into the 5 egg yolks, whisking quickly. Once thoroughly combined, pour the egg mixture into the remaining corn starch and fully incorporate. Bring pan back over medium heat and cook until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice. Stir to incorporate. Finally, add butter and give it one final stir. Take off the heat and set aside.
- 2. Moving on to the bottom layer and crumble topping. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add sugar and salt. Stir. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers. Dough will be crumbly. Divide in half and press first half into the bottom of your baking pan. Pour lemon filling on top and crumble remaining dough over the filling. Put into oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Enjoy!
- Bars will keep up to 5 days in an airtight container or up to 4 weeks in an airtight container in the freezer.
- These bars are thick. Alternatively, they can be baked in a 9x13 inch baking pan, yielding thinner but equally as delicious bars. If you choose to do so, you might want to double the dough.
Oh my!! These look so yummy! I was debating between making a lemon meringue pie or lemon bars. These look to be a step up from the regular lemon bars and I love very lemony desserts. Thanks so much for posting this delicious looking dessert.
Thanks! These are definitely a step up from your average lemon bars. Much like a lemon meringue pie but in the form of beautiful bars. Wishing you a very merry Christmas, Dianna!
Oh man these are the best lemon bars I’ve come across, so good I’ve made them thrice in the last 5 days and everyone who tries them starts raving about them. I’ll admit to a little tweaking, less sugar in the filling and more lemon juice, then more sugar in the base/topping. I’m making around 1.5 times the recipe in a 9×13 ’cause I like the bars thicker. I even made a batch with honey in the filling instead of sugar. These are amazing and totally reminiscent of my grandmother’s recipe and the bake sales I participated in as a child. The Floridian in me desperately wants to try this recipe with limes and almond flour in the topping.