This recipe was good, but I would make these changes next time I make them as they were way too brown and hard: Lower the oven temperature to about 325 and the time for baking to 13-15 minutes the first time and 18-20 minutes the second time. (either do that or put it in a 11x7 brownie pan and follow the original directions....just be sure to watch for the crust to become slightly brown rather than actual time for baking. I really think using a 11x7 would be better anyway....they wouldn't be quite so thin) I would also add either some lemon zest or lemon extract for a stronger lemon flavor.
A good basic recipe--I did use a 9x13 pan, though I thought it was smaller! LOL!!! I used juice & zest from 2 lemons, approx. 1/2 cup juice, and only a cup of sugar. Also added a bit of salt to each part to bring out the flavors. Melted the butter for the crust portion for ease, worked great!
I only used 1 cup of sugar in the filling, and the bars turned out quite tasty. 1.5 cups would have been too much. I also added the zest of one lemon to the filling. Baked at 325. Other reviewers have said that there isn't enough of both the crust and the filling, and I half agree. Next time I will double the filling, but I liked the thin crust that the original recipe yielded. The only other thing to note: GREASE YOUR PAN GENEROUSLY. OVERDO IT IF YOU MUST. While my bars came out tasting good, it was disastrous trying to get it out of the pan (I had greased minimally to reduce what little fat content I could)! So go ahead and slather on the butter or spray before baking!!
These were good but I found them to be too thin. They seemed more like cookies then bars. I think next time I would make them in an 8 x 8 pan, split the crust part of the recipe in half, and keep the measurements for the lemon filling the same. I think I would also add more lemon juice as well because it wasn't lemon tasting enough.
I've already made these twice this week since running across this recipe. It's awesome! I made it in a 9x13 pan per the instructions the first time, but was not pleased with the visual results. Taste-wise it was fine, though. So I put it in my Pampered Chef 8 or 9-in. (can't remember) square baker (stoneware) and it turned out much better. I also added some lemon flavor just because I really wanted it to be extra *lemony*. A suggestion I'd make is to blend the crust ingredients in a food processor rather than doing the blending by hand. THOROUGHLY blend the crust ingreds.! It should look like cookie dough. If you taste it, it IS like cookie dough. Yum! Then press it into the pan. I'd also recommend greasing the sides of the pan REALLY well, as that yummy, gooey lemon stuff sticks to the sides terribly. Oh the misery of scraping off the goo and being forced to eat it! LOL!
made these twice, once following the recipe to a T, the second time using the suggested modifications, Not the Lemon bars for me!!
I accidentally used 1. Whole cup of butter for the crust but they still turned out wonderfully
I have been making this recipe for years (this is the same one that is in my grandmas old cookbook) and have had no issues...I don't know what everyone else is doing wrong, but they turn out fine for every time. The only thing I change is the temperature to 350 (that's the temperature in the cookbook). My friends tell me of all the things I make, these are some of their favorites. I encourage you to give the recipe a try just as written.
Way too sweet! I even cut out 1/4 c. sugar. Also, the crust was a bit bland for our liking. You think that would have helped with the rest of it being so sweet, but it did not. Probably won't make again without revising.
These were really delicious. My whole family loved them.
I made these using the directions of GOURMETMOMMY and I think that the tartness is great, but too sweet. Will cut back to only 3/4c sugar next time. They look great and taste good, but too sweet for me.
These turned out very well. I did use the recommendations and doubled the eggs and flour for the filling. Increased the white sugar to 2 cups (I like them sweet) and used 3/4 cup or so of lemon juice. No need to double the crust- there was plenty. Once the filling was in, I did need it to bake at least 25 min to get a little golden on the outside. Turned out great! Will make again- except I might try using some lemon zest next time in addition to the lemon juice.
Where's the lemon? Should be called "sweet bars" not lemon bars. No one even knew they were lemon bars. SKIP this if you are looking for lemon flavor.
I am rating this based on the ORIGINAL recipe. The crust was perfectly fine, no complaints there, but the cooking time is too high and, like others, even though I left them in for the minimum amount of time, the edges burned and the top was too browned. When I cut in to them the filling was the same height as the crust (not a very good ratio) and had virtually no lemon flavor. I had made these for my home-baking business as part of an order for a graduation party today. I am glad I had bought a lot of lemons to make lemonade, because I ended up doing the entire recipe over again, using the suggestions of others. I really wish I could rate that recipe because it is a winner! I followed what others said and backed down the oven to 350, doubled the sugar and eggs, added WAY more juice, a tad more sugar, and it was DELICIOUS! I don't think you could add powdered sugar to the tops, though as these are so moist it would be absorbed. (Not a problem on the original recipe as they are so dry the powdered sugar goes nowhere.) If you're looking for something just sticky sweet with no lemon flavor and a little crunchy then the original recipe may work for you. But we prefer a lot of lemon flavor and a lot of filling/topping for the crust.
Silly me, I didn't bother to read the reviews before baking. I had the oven at 375 - big mistake! I put the crust in for 15 minutes and the rest in for 17, and the edges were very burnt. I cut a big square in the middle and used that as the finished product. They taste fantastic, in my opinion - even the burnt parts. However they could probably use a little more lemon juice. I didn't use any yellow food coloring, and I wish I had, because mine look quite boring and home-made.
This was my first attempt at lemon bars. I followed the recipe exactly, and they are very tasty. Well, I shouldn't say "exactly." My oven bakes hot, so I always reduce the temp by 25 degrees anytime I bake. Also, my butter was frozen, so I melted it before mixing it with the flour and powdered sugar, and the crust turned out beautifully. I would not want to double the crust for this recipe. They were not too sweet. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because they were not as gooey as I expected a lemon bar to be.
This was very, very good lemon bar recipe. I did not double the crust like other said, but instead, I used a 8x8 pan and they can out perfect. There was a good amount of crust to it( which was the best part to me) without being too much. My fiance had me make them 3 days in a row and he is not a big sweet eater. definitely worth all 5 stars.
WOWZA! These were terrific! I made them for Easter dinner and everyone loved them! I did make some changes based on previous recommendations...doubled the crust and used 3/4 cup lemon juice with 1 3/4 cup sugar. I did bake them in a 350 degree oven. I grew up with frosting on lemon bars and found this one: 2 c. powdered sugar, 1/2 c. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla & 1 1/2 Tb milk. Whipped together and frosted the bars after they were chilled. Did I mention that I wanted to eat every last one?! Thank you for a great recipe!
I followed GOURMETMOMMY's recipe instructions (reviewed Oct. 14, 2009), rather than what's called for. However, what I did make turned out well, and wasn't too sweet for our tastes. I think they could have been even tarter, but that's likely because I used meyer lemons (sweeter, less tart) from my tree instead of normal supermarket variety ones. Next time I'll use supermarket ones.
With corrections, this recipe is fantastic. Definitely the best lemon bars I've ever tasted, and my entire family agrees. I didn't have time to cool them all the way before serving, and they were even more amazing served a little warm! FYI: I doubled the crust, and used 1 cup lemon juice and 2 cups white sugar in the filling.
They are tasty. I also used 1/3 cup of lemon juice, but I'm going to try 1/4 cup next time. I lined it with foil, and greased the foil. I lifted it out of the pan while they were still warm. The foil easily peeled away from the bars. I had no trouble with the bars sticking. Thanks Elaine, and thanks to everyone for all the tips.
I halved the recipe and followed gourmetmommys suggestions. Just how lemon bars are supposed to taste.
In the middle because I used GourmetMommy's suggestion. Extremely tart on the day you cook it (and I LOVE tart), but put it in the fridge overnight and the tartness mellows out. THEN the taste is FANTASTIC!!!!
Follow the original recipe. I tried Gourmetmommy's, and it was a failure. I should have never deviated from the wonderful recipe that was posted. Rave reviews every time.
I took the suggestions from GourmetMommy (actually, I used 3/4 cup lemon juice) and found these too tart for my taste once they had baked up. Not the perfect blend of sweet and tart I was hoping for. It's tough to rate the original recipe with modifications and I agree it's somewhat arrogant to modify the heck out of a recipe and then rate/review it, but I'm giving this 3 stars. I likely wont make again, unless requested.
These are scrumptious. The crust is light, rich and tender, and the fresh lemon layer is a perfect balance between sweet and tart. Other recipes have overly thick lemon layers that are overly sweet or overly tart. Fresh lemon is the only way to go. Such a nice Spring or Summer delight.
Holy cow were these OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD! I used fresh squeezed lemon juice from lemons I picked today off our tree in the backyard. I have to say, using fresh squeezed lemon juice makes these PERFECTION. It's a more mild, natural, lemon flavor than the stuff in the jar. I used a little zest of the lemons too. Absolutely HEAVENLY. I'm going to try this exact recipe with orange juice next!
These were good, easy to make. I did double the eggs and flour, and did 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice. My husband liked them, his only complaint is he wished the crust had been more crunchy. But I didnt mind the crust, I will probably make these again if I don't find a better lemon bar recipe.
If you love the taste of lemon, you have to try this recipe. Definitely quick and easy!
I did what GOURMETMOMMY said to do. They turned out amazingly yummy, but I can't give the original recipe more than two stars. If I hadn't made the suggested substitutions, I imagine they wouldn't have been that good. Definitely double to dough recipe, or use a smaller dish (which is what I did) because there is no way it will cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Disappointed. Not really lemony enough. All I tasted was sugar even after adding extra lemon juice. Thanks for the recipe but will stick to my usual lemon bar recipe.
I have made this recipe both as lemon bars and lime bars - both are delicious. If I am using fresh lemon (or lime) I add zest of the fruit too. The recipe reminds me of the lemon bars my grandma used to make. I make the recipe dairy free by using Earth's Balance dairy free margarine.
Too much crust on bottom. This is just very sweet and I normally like sweet things...decent lemon flavour on top layer though.
Very good dessert, but I suggest using 1 1/2 tablespoons of zest instead of just 1 tablespoon, to add more of a lemon flavor. Also add 1/4 cup of water to the "crust" dough to make it easier to work with.
If you can't make this recipe turn out, hang up your apron. Made it according to the recipe, but did make it in a 9x9 inch square pan. I read all the reviews and really, why rate it if you don't make it according to what's listed. This is one of my fav's on allrecipes and I have made A LOT of them. Thanks for sharing.
Along with so many others, I followed GOURMETMOMMY's changes: decreased temp to 350 degrees, doubled flour and eggs, used 1 C lemon juice and 1 3/4 C sugar & baked 20 min with the filling. The only difference is that I baked the crust for the full 20 minutes but it could have used at least another 5 min. UPDATE: I baked the crust 30 minutes at 350 and it was perfect. I made two batches, one in a glass pyrex dish and another in an enameled clay dish. For some reason the clay worked much better -very little sticking & pretty crust where the glass one had lots of sticking and therefor a messy crust.
As written, not tangy enough for me and it had zero lemon flavor. (to be fair, I want to KNOW I'm eating a lemon bar) Then I made them using the "most helpful" changes. Too eggy. The search continues...
I made these for a bake sale and I was sold out half way through! These taste amazing I just loved them. I am making it again for Christmas. Don't change the recipe its perfect the way it is!
was super easy and great tasting, thanks! the second time around i used the zest from the lemons i was juicing for an added bonus flavor!
Okay, I actually think I'm a pretty decent baker, but I wound up with something kind of like sweet biscuits with a lemon omelette on top, no custard at all. There was no instruction on how to combine the butter with the rest of the crust - I can only assume it was supposed to be melted, but I've been on a biscuit kick so I cut it in with a pastry cutter. Well, that led to a delicious shortcake/biscuit crust... and I'm not sure what I did wrong with the custard, unless I either over- or under-beat the mixture. I followed the recommendations to up the lemon, double the eggs, and add more flour - maybe that was the problem. Did double the crust. I guess it's pretty decent-tasting, but it sure is not custard, and I was hoping for custard.
I have never gave anything a one star, but I did not care for these at all! I followed the recipe to a "T" and found they had little flavor other than cooked flour, mind you,the batter tasted wonderful. Most recipes, I give a second chance, this one doesn't deserve that option.
I made these for my family and they loved them! I have been looking for a good but easy recipe for lemon bars - I just found it. I'll definitely be making them again soon!
I made these exactly as written with no changes. I liked them well enough, and my BBQ guests ate them and said they were good. I have had better, and would like to try making these with GOURMETMOMMY's suggested changes. They were MUCH better the 2nd day! My husband said I could make these every week and he'd be thrilled.
Like so many others, i used gourmetmommy suggestions and doubled the flour, eggs and increased the lemon to 1 cup and upped the sugar just a bit... they came out great! I dont like my lemon bars super sweet, so for me, this is THE recipe!
I can't really rate this for the original recipe because I didn't make it yet but according to Gourmet Mommy's recipe, the bars were waaay too sour! I am about to make these with the original recipe but recommend lowering the temp to 350 and bake the crust at 12-15 minutes and then baking w/ filling for 20 minutes.
I have made these many times with great success using an 8" x 11" pan. This time I did them in a 9 x 13 pan as directed and they were totally overcooked. Next time I will go back to the smaller pan and lower the temperature to 350*
I followed the recipe as is. I took the advice of "Tamie33" and decreased the baking time for the crust as well as when the filling was baked. This way it did not come out to chewy. I also let the filling mixture beat for a few minutes in my mixer. This brought the filling to a froth. Even though I greased my baking pan very well, I would recommend running a butter knife around the edges of the baking pan a couple of minutes after taking the final product out of the oven. This helped when removing from the baking pan after cutting into squares. I may add some yellow food coloring the next time to the filling for a better overall color.This is a very good recipe. My husband loves it. Will make again and again. Thanks Elaine.
Extremely yummy! My husband thought they were going to be too sweet, but they were just right. Thanks Elaine!
I too hate when rating are given after completely modifying the recipe. I made 2 batches as written back to back. The first batch came out burnt and tasteless, the 2nd batch I decreased the cooking time on the crust and top to 15 minutes and they came out better. Next time I will find a different recipe or follow the suggestions to modify.
Many thanks to GOURMETMOMMY's tips on this recipe. These were the best lemon bars I've ever had! Like other reviews, I wish I would have doubled the recipe for the crust or at least put it in a smaller pan.
I originally doubled the crust recipe but when I put it in the pan, I could see it was way too much crust and took out half. I followed the suggestions by GOURMETMOMMY and found it was too tangy and tart. This may be because I used real lemon juice? Anyhow, next time I will only use 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup lemon juice. Otherwise very, very good!
I am very dissapointed with the results I got using GOURMETMOMMY'S modification. I could not get past the smell of egg.The only nice thing about these lemon bars is that they do look good, but taste( way too tart) and smell horrible.
These turned out great! Fresh lemons, fresh dutch butter..mmmm! I made them for the women I work with, who are very picky by the way. They loved them. As for myself, I think the recipe is great. The amount of crust and the amount of lemony part are perfectly even, not too much of either. Great lemon flavor and not too sweet! Thanks--Rachel
These lemon bars were okay. Nothing too spectacular. I followed the recipe exact. I had a huge issue with my crust sticking, I did use butter to grease the pan so maybe that was my problem? Also didn't feel like they were "lemony" enough. I used 4 fresh lemons which gave me just over 1/4 cup, plus the zest from one of the lemons. I will probably try to make these again, but will increase the lemon juice, and add an extra egg yolk.
I made these for superbowl party last night and they loved them so much, the host and hostess hid the rest of them in their bedroom for later!! lol Not fair to other guests, but what they didnt know won't hurt them. This is my go to recipe. The ONLY change I made was upped the lemon juiceto 1/2 cup, and I use lemon juice conentrate from the bottle. For some reason, whenever I use fresh lemon juice, whatever I'm making tastes like metal...Anyone know why that is??
I followed the suggestions of gourmet mommy and was TERRIBLY disappointed! The bars came out rubbery and tasted like play-doh! I kept the crust the same and it was the only part that could have been edible. I will try again following the original recipe.
I don't know what I did wrong - followed the directions perfectly - but they just didn't turn out well... The top browned way too fast.
These are awesome! I reduced the sugar and increased the lemon. We like 'em a bit more twangy.
I have to admit that I have never enjoyed lemon bars, and would have never thought to seek out this recipe if I had a say in the matter, but sometimes to get ahead you just need to know to do what you are told and my brother never learned that lessons and we all know how well he is doing still looking for work in Kentucky. I guess Scott was right. If you are feeling bold, consider drizzling salted caramel over the tops of these bars and adding a hint of mint and lime to the mixture. Admittedly, it is a wide departure in taste, but I have found that variation is at least on par with the original recipe if not superior along another spectrum. I also find these burn easily if baked for longer than 90 minutes, even at lower temperature.
I don't know what went wrong but the recipe was a big FAIL for me. First off there isn't enough lemon mix for the size of pan to be used. I doubled the recipe and it still only made a thin layer. Second, the cooking times are way off. At the recommended cooking times my base was overdone and my lemon section was undercooked - even taking into consideration an altered time as it was doubled. Third, 1/4 cup isn't enough lemon. Sad to see all of my ingredients go to waste.
I read the reviews and tried to just have a go with the original recipe and I think it worked out great on its own. There was plenty of the crust to spread in a 9x13 pan - I think doubling it would have made it way too thick. The filling was great too - I didn't have powdered sugar, so I substituted with half the amount of granulated sugar. I did add a little lemon juice to the crust just for fun. They were great!
Really good. Make sure you watch these. I went with the lesser times and mine got a little darker then i wanted.Next time im going to check them a few min before time is up. They are still very good!
After reading reviews I felt I should give this five stars and say I left the recipe as is and really liked it. Maybe I too like my lemon bars on the sweet side. The only change I made was in cooking time, I think this recipe just really needs to be watched in individual ovens!
Yum, yum, yum. I doubled the crust, but did not double the lemon mixture. I used a 1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon (I had a half left in the fridge) and 3/4 c. lemon juice. I added 3 drops of yellow food coloring. Made sure to keep track of the time, as to not burn the crust or lemon topping. Very good!!
These were very good. I cooked them for 22 minutes and wasn't paying attention and they got a little crisp on top. I also feel that the lemon topping was not as much as I would normally like in lemon bars. But they were great anyway!
Followed the modifications made in the comments and these turned out well. They were still a bit tart though, so may need to find another lemon bar recipe.
I followed this recipe exactly and I loved them. Just make sure you cut the edges with a knife before they cool or they are very hard to get out of the pan.
Wonderful!!!!! the perfect amout of lemon but definately use Gormet Mommy's adjustments! I Love these!
I checked the reviews on this before I made it. Kept coming across gormetmommy's name and had to scroll down quite a bit to find her suggestions. I'm glad I did! I think this would've been a disappointing recipe without following her suggestions. The bars were a hit! Also, they freeze well for later lunches. I did add a tablespoon of lemon zest as a matter of personal preference...really cranked up the lemony flavor.
Just Ok. Really needs much more lemon than recipe calls for. I added in twice a much, and it was great.
These were a hit. Watch them though; they need less cooking time than called for. (for crust and top)
Very good!! I doubled the filling because if the pan is not exactly even in the oven, the filling does not cover all of the crust.
It's one thing to suggest a change or two for personal preference or maybe tweak the baking time a bit or whatever, but GOURMETMOMMY has literally re-written the entire recipe. Now you have people giving ratings for a recipe they've never even made. Defeats the entire purpose. If it doesn't turn out, just give it a bad rating and move on so people can get accurate info. That being said, I made the original and give it 5 stars. The dough makes plenty to fit a 9x13 pan, I used the given temp and bake time and I had no trouble with it. I put a little extra lemon juice in because I like it tart, and that's it. They were great!
These didn't LOOK like they were going to taste good, but they were AMAZING. I followed the reviews marked "most helpful" and made mine in a 9 x 13 pan. They were just destroyed at work the next day...not even a crumb left.
These were yummy, but a little sweeter and less tart than I expected. I made no changes in the ingredients, but I did bake this in a 10 x 6 pan after reading other reviewers' comments about the difficulty spreading the flour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. The baking time was fine with the smaller pan. I would make these again, but would reduce the white sugar by 1/4 of a cup and increasing the lemon juice by a few tablesppons.
With so many good reviews I was disapointed about the taste. I used double de limejuice. The taste is not that bad but i was expecting a "wauw" taste afther reading so many reviews. If i decide to make this recipe again I will put some lemonzest.
Made the changes suggested by Gourmet Mommy and this turned out perfect. Right amount of sweet vs. tart. Will be making this for my upcoming bake sale. Thanks for posting!
These were WONDERFUL! My husband and I made the recipe together tonight for fun. He has not baked before, but thought it was a very quick and easy recipe to make. We were both very excited about how they turned out! I followed the recipe given except I baked at 350. For this southerner, the bars were the perfect balance of sweet and tart!
This recipe as written is way to sweet. I ended up tossing most of them, and my Teen loves lemon. The textures were right on, and I had no issue cutting the crust as some people have noted.
I am kicking myself for not having read the reviews first. It DEFINITELY needed less oven heat... I wanted to cry when I saw the dark brown crust... I liked the filling though I should have also added more ingredients, it was too thin... I was dissapointed because we had people over and I really needed these.
It ended up like scrambled eggs on a crust. I couldn't taste the lemon, and it smelled like cooked eggs.
These are amazing! They're not too sweet and not too tart. We call them "crack bars" because they're addicting. Every time I make them they get eaten within a day or two!
I just made these and they are awesome! The only change I made was to add one tablespoon more lemon juice than the original, but they would've been great without it as well. FYI, I used the shortest baking time.
OH MY GOODNESS! These are wonderful! Because I like my lemon desserts a little on the tart side, I followed Gourmetmom's advice.. Crust stays as written.. Filling, I doubled flour, eggs, reduced sugar to 1 3/4c. and I added 1 cup total of lemon juice, and lime juice. Very nice.
Loved it! Came out perfect. I have tried many lemon bars and this one worked! Thank you!
I also followed GOURMETMOMMY's suggestions because I like my lemon bars tart too! Excellent recipe!
I felt this was just okay. I can't imagine spreading out the dough in a 9x13 pan unless the recipe was doubled. I used an 9' circle casserole dish because that was all I had. I added 1 tsp. of fresh lemon zest and used fresh lemon juice. I felt it was too sweet. Good bake sale bars, just not the lemon bars for us.
I doubled the crust and used GORMETMOMMY's suggestions. They turned out amazing! I will definitely be making these over and over.
I would give this recipe more than 5 stars if I could. It really was the perfect lemon bar in my opinion. However, I did follow the advice of others and DOUBLED the filling and used 1 cup of lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups of sugar so they were not sickening sweet like other recipes I've tried. I did not used any food coloring and they looked yellow enough.
Love this recipe, only thing I added was 2 tablespoons of lemon and 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. These are really good and everyone enjoys them.
