This bar has the two crusts as requested, and has a strong tangy lemon taste, so much better than most of the lemon bar recipes out there due to the lemon curd and added coconut!
This recipe should have baking powder, not baking soda in the bottom crust. Made many years.
Read MoreI found this a little too crumbly, the flavour however was very nice.
Read MoreThis recipe should have baking powder, not baking soda in the bottom crust. Made many years.
The look of these bars was fabulous, absolutely wonderful, I wish I had a camera to submit a photo. Next time I will not add baking soda to the crust, I am telling you I am the queen of bars, and I don’t use baking soda at all in my crusts it makes a big diffrence. I used my own recipe for lemon curd: ( ½ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest ,3 eggs, 13/4 cup sugar, 1teaspoon of corn flour, put all ingredients in the blender for 10 seconds, then cook the curd on a low heat and add ½ stick of butter boil for 5 minutes.
Ohhhh, so good. Hubs even liked them and he generally doesn't like lemon period...except squeezed on fish. I halved the recipe (used 8x8 pan) and used almost a full can of lemon pie filling, to which I added the juice and zest from half a lemon to freshen it up. Because I knew these would be a more delicate bar dessert, I used sliced almonds rather than chopped, and I was more than pleased with the modifications I made. Rich and buttery, refreshingly lemony, not too sweet, pretty and perfect little dessert.
WOW! I made this and it was great but I found many faults. So I made it again the next day. I made certain to crush the roasted slivers of almonds well; I made the crust 1 1/2 times the batter. I also used the recipe on this site for lemon curd which makes approximately 2 cups of curd. The second batch was incredible I am going to send a few packages to some restaurants in area to sell..... Thanks for the great recipe
Great basic bar recipe but I leave out the baking soda in the crust because it is not necessary. Also, when time permits, homemade lemon curd is the best. Thanks for submitting.
Fantastic. I'm having one more and sending the rest to work with my husband tomorrow. Use good quality lemon curd - Stonewall Kitchens if you can find it. I toasted the pecans, too, and used a bit more than 1/2 cup, also used 11 x 7 pan as one reviewer suggested. Yum. Don't worry if the crust looks a little unstable when you take it out of the oven the first time. It'll set up.
Be sure to use the coconut and almonds if you like them; they really make this recipe special. Be sure to press the topping into the lemon curd before baking!
My family loved this recipe. My hubby thinks its the best dessert I've made! Anyway, I made a few changes to the recipe. We aren't big fans of coconut so I didn't use any. Also, I used a suggestion from another reviewer and substituted the store bought lemon curd for the Perfect Lemon Curd recipe. It was SOOO good. I couldn't believe I actually made it all from scratch.
THIS WAS SO GOOD i put one zest of lemon in for extra coz i the curd i had was not very lemonny. I would definately try this again and the next time i try it, i would use a little more lemon zest and lessent the amount of butter by half or 1/3. It was a bit too oily and buttery.
This was good, but like a few others said, I thought the crust was too buttery/greasy. If you're expecting a "lemon bar", this isn't it at all. A very different version--think lemon dessert bar. Ours wasn't too sweet at all, so it really depends on what kind of lemon curd you use. Homemade vs. several different brands out there= different levels of tartness. I used Trader Joe's curd and would've like it a little more lemony, so would use some lemon zest in the curd or the topping. I'd also cut the butter down by at least 25%. I'd also be interested in trying the crust w/baking powder as one reviewer mentioned. It's a good dessert bar but I think it could be excellent with some changes.
Simple, buttery, and flaky! Be sure to keep your butter nice and cold for maximum flakiness. I cut the recipe in half and baked in an 8" x 8" pan. The mix seemed too crumbly to possibly work, but once baked, it hold together perfectly! I had to bake an extra 7 minutes, but I think that this is because I used a glass pan.
This was one that EVERYONE enjoyed! This is a bar that you have to eat with a plate and fork not a hand held food. I made no alterations to the recipe.
Delicious! I found this recipe while looking for something to do with a jar of orange curd I got from my local farmers market. I used the orange curd instead of lemon curd and instead of adding the coconut and nuts to the topping I used graham cracker crumbs. My whole family loved it. My husband wants me to make these again.
I would definitely make this recipe again! Absolutely delicious. Next time I will cut the recipe down 2/3 but use the same amount of lemon curd and throw it into a smaller pan.
Wonderful flavor if you like lemon, which I do and a nice buttery crust. Wouldn't change a thing. This is a keeper. Thanks for the recipe.
I was in search of a recipe where I could use an 11 oz. jar of lemon curd that was in my pantry. This recipe was the winner! I added the juice of one lemon and its zest into the jar of lemon curd to give it some more lemony flavor. (The jarred lemon curd seemed a bit mild to me.) I left off the almonds and coconut even though I had the ingredients because I don't think of lemon bars with those ingredients. These were the perfect lemon flavor and super sweet. Both hubby and I enjoyed the first bars still warm from the oven. YUM!
These came out great! I did toast the coconut and almonds first, just because I always do.
I used the Lemon Curd recipe from this website for the curd...it's way better than store-bought and very easy to make. I also reduced the butter by half and substituted applesauce in it's place -- a little healthier without sacrificing flavor.
Excellent and EASY!! Many, many compliments on this. I will be including these bars with my Christmas packages.
This was great except I had to bake the bottom crust for 20 minutes instead of 10 & I left the almonds out because I thought the coconut would be enough. I also added a tiny bit more sugar to mine & found the crust to be perfect!
Didn't knock my socks off. The crust was WAY to buttery, even left a film of butter in the bottom of the pan. I didn't use baking soda as recommended. I found it too sweet as well. My husband LOVED it, however. I felt a heart attack coming on when just looking at the pan, very unusual for me!
This deserves five stars because it is so simple make. It took me five minutes to make the base and topping! Yummy without the coconut as well
This recipe was perfect for using up some lemon curd leftover from the holidays and for my husband's coconut craving. The only change I made was I left out the almonds because of my daughters nut allergy. Delicious! I had no problems and they came out perfectly. Yum.
Very tasty. Plenty of butter, though, too much. Next time I'll cut it down and also replace a few Tbsp of butter with softened coconut oil. It's quite sweet even after reducing the amount of sugar. I used unsweetened cocunut flakes and crushed sliced almonds - very pleasing. Loved using my own lemon curd.
As per the suggestion of many reviews, I halved the amount of crust and did this in 8 x 8 pan. I think I overcooked the crust cause it was really difficult to cut and chew. Too hard. I used the recipe for Microwave Lemon Curd because it is really quick and easy. I like this recipe better than other lemon bars. They usually seem to eggy for me. The coconut didn't really do a thing for me so I won't bother with it next time. I swapped the chopped almonds for sliced and toasted almonds. The second time I made these, I only cooked the crust for about 8 minutes and it was much better however; I used lemon curd from Trader Joe's and I personally did not like the lemon curd from there. It had a fake lemon aftertaste. Homemade is so easy and taste so much better.
This is the best lemon bar I've ever had. Followed the recipe exactly except I used baking powder, not soda and my crust was perfect. Made them for a party last night and everyone loved them.
This is my first review. These lemon curd bars are awesome, but I would probably add twice the curd than the recipe called for next time. (Another reviewer said she'd use baking powder vice baking soda -- I'm curious about the difference between the two?) Anyway, the almond & coconut topping added crunch & made for great texture. Hope the crew I made these for agrees as we sail 1500 miles non-stop from Hampton, Va., to the British Virgins.
Yum! Made them in a 9x9 pan and had to increase 2nd baking time by 15 minutes. 5 star delicious!!
These were very good..found myself going back for more - I made the lemon curd ('microwave lemon curd') from this site and they were tangy and moist - I followed the recipe exactly, however, didn't have almonds, so toasted up some crushed walnuts and dusted with powder sugar at the end..a crowd pleaser for sure!
Wow....these are super lemony! I used a homemade lemon curd, other than that I didn't change a thing!
Discovered I did not have enough flour to make these delicate treats, so I only used half the butter. I'm still adjusting to a microwave without a soften cycle, so the butter melted, and my crust was more like dough. Used 2/3 as recommended in a smaller pan, added some powdered sugar to lemon curd, then added more powdered sugar and coconut only to the remaining mixture to get it crumblike for the top crust. My husband couldn't wait to sample them, then wanted more. He thought they were great. Final test will be sharing them with our church family this morning. I thought they were very good, but prefer my homemade lemon bar filling so will try the crust with that filling the next time. Thanks for sharing.
Received several requests for this recipe at the potluck I took these to. Great recipe...wouldn't change a thing!
This is delicious and will replace my Lemon Bar recipe! For my personal use in the future, this is what I did; I used half butter, half coconut oil in the crust (I made a half batch so it would fit in a 8x8 pan which took 16 minutes to bake), I used about 16 ounces of lemon curd (homemade using my fabulous Pampered Chef recipe)), I followed the directions exactly for the topping. I enjoyed the almonds (which I had chopped up super fine and toasted). I will continue with my modifications because for me it was perfect.
Best lemon bars I've made in a long time and I've tried many recipes. Easy too! I also really like it with lime curd...goes well with the coconut. Yum!
I found this recipe when I was searching for a use for extra lemon curd from a Lemon Meringue cupcake recipe (I highly recommend "A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes" by Dede Wilson by the way). This lemon bar recipe is simple and delicious! The baked part of the bar is basically a shortbread cookie, which was rich and buttery. On the top we used almonds and coconut, and put it all in a smaller pan for thicker bars. Even though I've been baking all this lemon stuff, I am not normally a big lemon fan. However, homemade lemon curd is so yummy even non-lemon fans are won over by it. I found these bars an excellent use for it and they were a big hit when I brought them to the party!
These were excellent. I had a jar of lemon curd and didn't know what to do with it; such a nice change from my usual chocolate chip cookies. Didn't do the almonds but the coconut is a must. I used a glass pan - don't forget to butter the pan!
This recipe is so easy to make! I was a little concerned when I first pulled them out of the oven...I baked for 25 minutes and they browned up nicely. I couldn't wait until they cooled to slice and they were really gooey. But, that's part of my impatience. When they finally cooled up they set up very nicely. We really liked the flavor of these and the coconut & almonds go really well with it.
Okay- I'm not a huge lemon fan, but I made these for my husband's Dad...and I swear I almost ate the whole pan myself!! They are just amazing!! Even my husband.. who isn't a sweets eater or lemon fan said.. and I quote "these are the best bars I've ever had". I added some grated lemon peel to the curd for a little more lemon flavor. I also used pecans instead of almonds (just what I had on hand). Lastly, I followed the crust recipie as it was written for the bottom crust, but didn't use all the remaining crumbles for the top as it seemed like it was too much. Make these, and you'll have a recipie you will be using forever. I know I will!
Simply the best recipe I've ever used for lemon bars. Everyone raves about them. I make my own lemon curd though, as it is so much better/fresher than store-bought curd. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
These are amazing and not very hard to do if you buy the lemon curd in the store. I made in an 8X8 pan. I didn't use the coconut because a lot of people don't like it. I toasted the almonds in theoven beofre adding to the top. Sent some into husband's work and was demanded the recipe. I will definitely make these again and again, but I might actually try to make my own curd so I can make a bigger pan. Soooooooo good, I'm glad I found the recipe.
Love! I made these for dessert on Easter and everyone loved them! From the little kids to my parents and their foreign exchange student. I made fresh lemon curd (using the Microwave Lemon Curd recipe).
Oh! So very good and I didn't change a thing to the recipe except put it in a 8*11 pan b/c I don't have the 9*13 which was nice b/c the crust and toppings were thicker. Toasting the almonds is important for flavor. Simple delicious recipe!
Sooooo good! I zested a lemon and used it in the flour mixture. It added an extra lemon taste to the bars. The cookie base would be great with raspberry or lime filling too.
I got a jar of lemon curd from my mother-in-law and having never tasted it before, decided to try it in this recipe. As someone who generally doesn't like lemon-flavored desserts, I was skeptical about trying it, but I am so glad I did! My pan was a bit smaller than the one listed in the recipe, so the topping ended up being a bit thicker (like a crumble) but no one seemed to mind! Be sure to mix until the dough is nice and crumbly, as the bigger chunks of butter will make the taste of the bars uneven. I used less butter (2-3 T. less) the second time and it turned out just as good. I also replaced the chopped almonds with shaved almonds, making the topping less crunchy.
I didn't use baking powder or baking soda, after reading comments on the recipe, and it turned out great!
I've never rated a recipe before - but this was so good I had to. I made the following changes: To make the bars thicker, I used a 7 x 11 pan instead of a 9 x 13 pan. And I substituted the zest from 1 lemon for the almonds. I used Dickinson's Lemon Curd. These bars were soooo delicious. I made them for my stepdaughter's birthday (she loves lemon). They were a huge hit -- even with me, and I usually don't like lemon bars.
This recipe is wonderful. I make homemade lemon curd then use it for these bars = delicious!
Wow. Lemony delish bliss :) Followed recipe as written and they turned out fabulous!
Tasty way to use up lemon curd. Not my favorite lemon bar (because I grew up with my mom's homemade treats), but these are very tasty and will garner compliments.
These bars are great, but I have to say re:the reviewer worried about sodium content of 1/2 tsp of b.soda, for a recipe that makes 40 servings, that is not a whole lot of sodium. If you have kidney disease, it would be a lot, but not in a recipe of this size.
Rich and delicious! I used a jar of lemon curd I had from finecountrygourmet.com and they turned out wonderful (and so fast and easy since I had the pre-made lemon curd). Will definitely make these again.
Loved the recipe but left out the B.S. The lemon curd is a great timesaver. However, as an older (and now wiser) person with kidney and blood pressure problems, this amount of UNNEEDED baking soda equals 25% of a normal person's daily need of sodium/salt; 1 tsp = 1231mg. (Also, [but not in this recipe, now y'all!] 1 tsp baking powder is 20% of the RDA for salt.) Most people don't realize that these two unnoticed (and oft unnecessary) convenience leavening agents are one of the reasons that folks have problems controlling their blood pressures. This is a great recipe (...except...if it needs a touch of salt, why not use a potassium-based salt substitute, which will "protect" and offset the sodium consumption? (Think about WHY hypertension has skyrocketed since the invention of these lovely products.)
Very easy recipe..I omitted the coconut and it turned out great!
Mmm...this recipe is a delicious and easy use for my leftover lemon curd! My curd didn't originally turn out so well (too thin), but it didn't matter with this recipe. I was expecting a bit more tartness, but as the other reviews stated, this is more of a dessert bar than a tart lemon bar. Love the shortbread-esque crust! I used baking powder, instead of soda, as suggested in reviews, and mine turned out great. Yummy warm, but I bet it will be great cold!
I made these for a party and they were a hit. I thought they were tangy and not overly sweet. I believe the topping really made the dessert.
I didn't use the coconut, but other than that, this recipe was a crowd-pleaser. I'll definitely make it again.
Very good. I made the crust 1.5x and the lemon curd x 2. Turned out very well. I did lower the butter used in the crust as well.
Very excellant! I cut the baking soda too, still turned out fine. I actually used a smaller pan (I had a hard time spreading out the crust on a 9X13 pan, it just wouldn't cover) and still turned out great. Wonderful flavor! Too bad I'm watching calories! Yum!!!!
I've made this recipe many times for different functions, and have several people who request it. Perfect for those of us who love that serious lemon taste. Thanks for a great recipe!
Very tangy, very sweet. I'm a lemon fan, and everybody in my family loved these bars (especially my sister, even though she's not very fond of non-continental-european recipes).
I really enjoyed this recipe. Very easy to make and I like the coconut and almonds on top. It was recommended to me by Doughgirl8 after I requested a good lemon bar recipe. For the lemon curd I used the "Perfect Lemon Curd" recipe from Tawnie. Also very nice. I used extra lemon zest, as I prefer it really tart and lemony. Thanks to all who helped me come up with a lemon bar recipe I will use over and over again.
I like lemon, but wow! These are not for the faint at heart lemon lovers. Pretty good, but really strong flavor. Will make again, but will adjust lemon juice and zest.
Too much crust, not enough lemon! I left out ~ 1/4 of the top layer crust, and it was still too much of the dough aspect, and not enough flavor. I would suggest doubling the lemon curd and keeping the amount of dough the same.
I made these according to the recipe except that I used 14.25oz of lemon curd (the whole jar). These bars are wonderful! Now the kids want them all the time!
I prepared this recipe last night. I made two minor changes -- I used baking powder instead of baking soda and I added lemon zest to the top crumbs. I also used my own lemon curd. The flavor is nice. My feeling is that there is too much butter in it. It feels greasy to the touch. It was also very crumbly. I will make this again with a few changes -- less butter or more flour. I haven't decided. It definitely needs some tweaking.
This recipe is going on my yearly holiday baking list. It turned out perfectly!
Amazing, absolutely amazing!! I bet they would be even better if I made my own lemon curd . .will try that next time.
My son helped me with this one. We had no unsalted butter or coconut but it was really good. My son really stirred up the ingredients so it was like dough, no large crumbs for us. It was still great. I think the possiblity is here for this to be fantastic. I wish I knew just what to do. Seemed a little too buttery and not enough zing for our tastes. BUT it had less than 1/2 the fat calories that most of the other lemon goodies. AND, dont get me wrong we did enjoy them and will make them again.We made them for a dinner party and had not a one left. Thanks
These bars were fantastic! I left out the almonds because I don't really care for nuts, but it was delightful without. I made the lemon curd using the Perfect Lemon Curd recipe on this site, but I think next time I'd just buy it because it took a long time to make.
The flavor was very nice. I made the lemon curd from the recipe on this site - Fabulous. However, I rated this 3 stars because it oozed oil. (I wonder if there was an error when the recipe was posted. Could it have meant one cube butter instead of one cup?? The texture of the butter/flour/sugar mixture was like cake frosting, not "course crumbs".) I probably won't make this again.
I made the recipe in a 9x9 pan which yielded a nice thick bar. I omitted the coconut and almonds due to allergies, added the zest of 1 lemon and 6 tbsps extra flour so it wasn't so sticky. I used a scant 2 cups of lemon curd that I had leftover from making tarts. I thought these were a nice way to use up leftover lemon curd and a bit fancier than regular lemon bars. Baked 5 minutes longer for thicker bars. Cut into 16 nice sized bars.
Tried it without the baking soda, creamed the butter with a hand mixer and it made a super creamy fudge like bottom. Added 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to the topping. They always get raves.
Unfortunately I didn't have any coconut or pecans. Even without these - it was excellent. I made my own lemon curd from this site, which was delicious. I can NOT wait to try this with the coconut/pecan mixture on top. The hubby and little kids loved it too!
Great recipe! Served these at my holiday party and got great reviews!
I used the pecan instead of almonds. This recipe definitely went over well and I will make it again.
Loved this treat. So easy to make and quick too. Kid approved also. Plus I shared with coworkers and they thought I was a gourmet cook.
Not as much lemon flavour as I had hoped. (Perhaps it was the brand of lemon curd I purchased?) Next time, I might double the amount of lemon curd and add some fresh lemon zest or even a good lemon extract, like from Penzey's Spices.
The crust was good, but these turned out waaayyy too sweet. I would cut the sugar in half and add lemon zest.
These bars were excellent! I followed the recipe almost exactly. I omitted the almonds as my family doesn't care for them. I used a lemon curd recipe from this site which yielded about 16 oz. I made two batches. The first one my family gobbled right up. I made the second batch for my husband to share with co-workers and they all raved about these bars!
This was very good - exactly what I was looking for. I have been trying to find a recipe using Lemon curd and I was wanting something like this. I left off the nuts and coconut only because I didn't have them on hand. I will make this again!
I enjoyed making this recipe. I used the "Perfect Lemon Curd" recipe to make the curd and it turned out great. I wasn't really happy with the crust in this recipe. I thought the taste of the filling was really good though. Might just have to experiment with the crust.
Delicious and easy! Did not have lemon curd used lemon pie filling. Still tasty!
Baked these for the first time and took them to my senior sunday school class. I recieved wonderful comments from excellent cooks. Recipes like this will keep me comming back to this site.
My family loved it. I added the coconut and some lemon zest to the lemon curd and found this recipe to be the one to replace the traditional lemon bar recipe. Love the variation in textures between the cookie-like crust and the coconut with the lovely lemony smoothness. Thanks so much for this recipe!
