I have been experimenting on baking lemon bars based on different recipes online and offline and this is so far the best combination of crust and lemon filling I have made. Not too sour, not too sweet. I think the use of less lemon juice than the usual and the addition of ground cashew nuts are the key points in the success of these lemon bars.
Lemon bars recipe
Ingredients
For the crust
100 grams butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup ground cashew nuts
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
a pinch of salt
For the lemon filling
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
2 tbsp flour
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
To make the crust, sift together flour, sugar, salt and ground nuts. Blend in butter until crumbly. Line a 10″ x 12″ x 1″ pan with baking paper. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer on a wire rack to cool.
Beat egg and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and flour and continue mixing until well combined. Pour on top of the crust and bake for another 20 minutes or until the filling has set.
Transfer on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and cut into your preferred shapes and sizes. I prefer it cut into small 1″ x 1″ squares and served with Oolong or Earl Grey tea.
This is my entry for the Hearts and flours Improv challenge from the Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for the month of February. The challenge is to cook something heart-shaped or served on a heart-shaped dish with flour as one of the ingredients. I was actually tempted to make heart-shaped gum drops dredged in flour instead of sugar. Cheating on the first challenge? Good thing I wasn’t able to find unflavored or uncolored gelatin in local stores.
This lemon bars recipe is mostly based on Joy of Baking’s lemon bars recipe and the citrus tart recipe from the Easy Desserts recipe book by who-knows-who.
Ooh, I love lemon bars. Yours look divine. I love the idea of a ground cashew crust.
Thanks Lesa! I got the cashew idea when I once tried baking sans rival.
Welcome to the group! Lemon bars are tops. I never thought of cutting them into hearts, but it works!
Thanks for the welcome Kristen. As I posted on my FB timeline, heart-shaped goodies don’t always have to be chocolate-coated
Looking forward to the next challenge!
Love your heart-shaped lemon bars! And I especially love the cashew crust. They’re the perfect for a quick snack. What a great idea for the Improv Challenge! Hope you have time to stop by and check out my heart-shaped gingerbread cookies.
love lemon bars! I’ve got some lemons from my tree that need to be used. Thanks for the reminder & great recipe. (Love the ♥ shape, too…)
I hope I could grow lemon trees too. I’m so into lemons recently and I’m actually planning to bake lemon Bundt cake next.
I’ve been looking for a lemon bar recipe forever. I’ll have to check yours out.
You’ll like it if you want yours just a little sour. Most recipes calls for more lemon juice than mine.
Lemon bars, lovely luscious lemon bars! Love the idea of adding nuts to the crust.
There ought to be some valid excuse for coating gumdrops with flour, though, just as a matter of principle.
I used to enjoy gum drop-like candies as a kid and they’re dredged in flour-like substance. Though I’m not sure whether they’re really flour and I can’t find those candies anymore.
So glad you joined the Improv Challenge! Your lemon bars look fantastic (I think mine are always too oozey to cut so beautifully). My hubby would have loved this for his V-Day dessert!
I was planning to join the Improv Challenge for months now and since I’m recently into baking, this challenge is the perfect start.
Ooo! I adore lemon bars and who knew something so wonderful could become even more appealing by making them heart-shaped. Love these!
I wouldn’t shape them into hearts if not for this challenge though
I’m a relative newcomer to lemon bars, but I am a total convert now. Yours look really delicious!
So light and lovely, Noel. Your photos make me want to bake up a batch right now =)
KK, not a fan of lemon bars but your version looks really good! I’m impresesed at your baking skills.
Keith, welcome back! Sayang sana nag-abot man lang tayo dito sa Jeddah.