These lemon bars are so easy and delicious! No measuring or breaking eggs. They can be frosted with cream cheese icing, or used as a jellyroll base.
good - very easy! I liked it with a lemon glaze (lemon juice, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt) poured over the top while hot to make a thin topping. This is good to have on hand for an easy and fast sweet tooth need.
Read MoreI just want to comment on this recipe. I've found several versions on the Internet. Many call for two (21 oz.) cans of pie filling. So the first time I made it, I used two (15 oz.) cans, since that's what my grocery store had. It turned out fine. (My 3-star rating is based on that.) The second time, I went to the supermarket and found the larger cans, so I thought I'd try it with two of the larger cans. It was an utter failure! It rose too high and flopped over the side of the pan, and the center didn't fully cook, even though I left it in for at least 35 minutes. I guess it goes to show that you can't believe everything you read on the Internet! Next time, I'll stick to Allrecipes, where I can read reviews before actually trying a recipe! NOTE: The other thing I learned is that NOT ALL LEMON PIE FILLINGS ARE CREATED EQUAL! The first time, I bought Duncan Hines/Wilderness Lemon Creme Pie Filling. The second time, I bought the store brand. When I came home, I noticed the ingredients on the store brand didn't even list lemon as an ingredient! At least the DH/Wilderness brand has lemon puree and egg yolks in it! It tasted much more like real lemon and looked more appealing. The store brand tasted like powdered lemonade and was almost a fluorescent yellow! Always check ingredients!!
Read Moregood - very easy! I liked it with a lemon glaze (lemon juice, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt) poured over the top while hot to make a thin topping. This is good to have on hand for an easy and fast sweet tooth need.
Wow! This is delicious. I made two. One of them was lemon and the other one was strawberry. They were both delicious, but we prefer strawberry. All I did was use strawberry pie filling instead of lemon. YUM! This is easy and fast and relatively low calorie.
I just want to comment on this recipe. I've found several versions on the Internet. Many call for two (21 oz.) cans of pie filling. So the first time I made it, I used two (15 oz.) cans, since that's what my grocery store had. It turned out fine. (My 3-star rating is based on that.) The second time, I went to the supermarket and found the larger cans, so I thought I'd try it with two of the larger cans. It was an utter failure! It rose too high and flopped over the side of the pan, and the center didn't fully cook, even though I left it in for at least 35 minutes. I guess it goes to show that you can't believe everything you read on the Internet! Next time, I'll stick to Allrecipes, where I can read reviews before actually trying a recipe! NOTE: The other thing I learned is that NOT ALL LEMON PIE FILLINGS ARE CREATED EQUAL! The first time, I bought Duncan Hines/Wilderness Lemon Creme Pie Filling. The second time, I bought the store brand. When I came home, I noticed the ingredients on the store brand didn't even list lemon as an ingredient! At least the DH/Wilderness brand has lemon puree and egg yolks in it! It tasted much more like real lemon and looked more appealing. The store brand tasted like powdered lemonade and was almost a fluorescent yellow! Always check ingredients!!
use cream cheese frosting and can put lemon extract in. OR- frosting- 6 oz cream cheese, 3 tbsp melted butter, 1/2 tbsp lemon extract, 2 1/2 c. powder sugar. Mixed until creamy.
These are so easy and delicious! Frost with cream cheese frosting from the store. You can't go wrong!
These were okay. Big lemon flavor...next time I might not add a whole can of lemon filling.
I make this with Cherry Pie Filling....it's been in our family for quite some time! We love it!
I used a combination to make this dessert. I used this recipe, the review idea from Alene, who reviewed this recipe in July 2008 and my own spin on things. I made my own filling using 5 bananas, a small package of instant pumpkin pudding mix and about 1 cup of milk. Then added the cake mix. After baking, let it cool, spread with banana cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. It tasted a lot like banana bread. Very easy though. I will be trying it again, using the lemon and maybe other fillings. I had to use up some bananas though today! :)
These are so easy and yummy, too! Anyone could make them. Next time I'm going to have my kitchen phobic daughter do, but I will be greasing my pan. They are sticky.
It was okay. Not at all what I was expecting. My 8 year old made it though so of course it was great to her. It puffed up and ended up being a very dense lemony almost pound cake consistency with a thick lemon pudding middle. I did not know if the insides were supposed to be pudding but it had cooked longer than the specified time and was looking like it might burn on top. Everyone ate it and no one complained but definitely not the lemon bars I was after. Will let my kids make it again because for them, it was very easy and did not need a lot of supervision.
I had these at work today and have a pan baking in the oven!! Don't get any easier than this. They taste Great!!
These came out really weird. Strange texture and little flavor. The also didn't raise correctly. One side was high and the other low. I do think part of it is my fault because the angel food cake mix I got had packaged egg whites in it. I've read other recipes for this and it calls for the 1 step kind only. My mistake, but the flavor was still nonexistent. I won't make it again.
This is my go-to recipe when I need something fast! It's quick, easy, low-fat and everyone always loves them!
I was so curious about why the ratings are so 50/50 on this so I made them. If you want the custardy goodness of true lemon bars/squares, don't make these. I used Betty Crocker Angel Food mix and a 22 oz. can of Lucky Leaf lemon pie filling, but the recipe calls for 21 oz. so I left out a little over 1/3 of a cup, and baked in a 9x13x2 pan. They came out fine. I agree with the sponge cake analogies out there. They're edible and lemony, but I'd never take them to the church potluck because everyone would have the same reactions as the comments on this site! (i.e. what's this??)
I use to make this exact recipe years ago and lost it. I could never remember the size of pie filling or how long to bake. It also had been so long I couldn't remember for sure if there was a third ingredient. I was so happy to find it. It is great when you frost it with a cream cheese frosting. I use to get raving reviews when I made it. Any cream cheese recipe will do.
This was easy to make and taste was ok, but frankly I didn't like the texture. It was too spongy and rubbery for me. Also, it could be a function of the brand of cake mix I used but after baking, it became a misshapen mass that didn't look too appealing.
I made with one jar of trader joe's lemon curd and minute maid lemon juice (1/3 cup)...baked 18-20 mins. Cooled completely and added a bit of whipped cream. Has a lemon chess pie richness, therefore, a tiny square is sufficient.
5 stars for ease - 2 stars for taste/texture! Very wet and dense, not much lemon flavor, nothing like a real lemon bar. Saw this recipe all over the place the week before Easter, so wanted to try. Will not make again-still have half the batch sitting.
my lemon pie filling was totally tasteless, so I added some lemon extract and lemon peel. I have seen this recipe before but it called for 1/2 the amount of lemon pie filling. So that is what I used.
Super easy! Couldn't find angel food cake mix so I used a french vanilla one instead and also added a scoop of poppy seed filling. Yummy :-P
We love this quick/easy recipe! Two cans of lemon is way too much! I make this in a 9x13 glass cake dish. Lemon frosting in the plastic tub is the perfect finish to this perfectly lemon dessert!
I added fresh lemon juice and it was fine out of the oven but did NOT keep well...turned gelatinous/.
Simple and delicious! These are extremely lemony and sweet. I make them look elegant by dusting with confectioner's sugar just before serving.
I followed the recipe exactly. It is too spongy (almost rubbery) and had little flavor - not very lemony. Of course, looking at other recipe reviews, you slather ANYTHING with cream cheese frosting and it's great! Will not make this again though.
I think these would be better if made with a regular lemon cake mix, not angel food mix. I think it’s the powdered egg whites in an angel food cake mix that make these bars too spongy. Whereas an angel food cake relies on a lot of egg white to rise, a regular cake mix relies mostly on baking powder to rise. The flavor of these bars is ok (could be more lemony) but the texture leaves a lot to be desired. I’m sure they will be eaten, but I won’t make them again.
This was an interesting dessert. Very easy to make. I was looking for something I could make with what I had in my cabinet and this fit the bill nicely. I had blueberry pie filling and after reading the other reviews I decided to try it. The cake mix I had was a 2 step mix- eggs in one packet and cake mix in another. The egg mixture did not break up and mix in well with the pie filling using a spoon, so I used a mixer on low speed and then added the cake mix packet. I did spray my pan before baking. Be careful not to overcook it, the top on mine sprang back, but it was very sticky. Don't let that fool you, it's done. It was lumpy and kind of strange looking. As it cooled, it sunk down some and shrunk in the pan. I had a can of buttercream frosting in the cabinet also, so I iced it (partly to cover up the top of it..it really was kind of strange looking...lol). Took it to a family function, those that tried it liked it. I think next time I'll use a can of cherry pie filling and make a powdered sugar glaze. (we don't care much for lemon, so probably won't ever make it with the lemon filling, but if you like lemon, I bet you'll enjoy this)
This has a nice lemon flavor but the consistency is nothing like a bar. It's more like a lemon flavored sponge cake. I wouldn't make it again.
Did not like the smell of the batter. Taste like chewy dry cake mix. Will not make again.
They come out like little squares of lemony sponge cake. That's be best description I have.
I made this because I always make easy recipes before reccomemding them to my son who is in college. It has a very strange texture. It is like a cake fail texture. It is sweet but not rich. It is spongy and chewy. I will not be making this recipe again, ever.
Best lemon bars I have ever had! Sadly, I first tried them after the funeral of a dear friend when everyone was getting together to visit and remember her. They were served with powdered sugar over the top. I went back a few times for more, and a lot of people were talking about them, they were a huge hit. My little girl is 9, and loves to make them because it is so easy to do. Easy, sweet and a bit tart, couldn't get better than that!!
I rather enjoyed these but the texture is odd, kinda spongy. I added lemon extract and lemon juice to the mix to increase the lemon flavor. I'll make them again but maybe for a potluck where I don't have a whole pan for myself.
This didn't work at all for me. I used the right size Angel Food Cake mix and pie filling, and got a mess. Mine was six inches tall and oozed out of the pan all over the oven; I baked it twice as long as stated before it even started to set up, and by then the top was burned. This was a complete failure and I threw it out. Back to regular lemon bars, I guess!
My 11 year old made these. She doesn't like the flavor of lemons but loved these!!! The only problem was that they were a little sticky.
I just made this and it's fantastic and obviously easy! I added a squeeze of fresh lemon because I had one on hand!
These were so very easy to make and the whole fam enjoyed them. Except for one variation, just followed the recipe. Variation: I used a scattering of multi-colored non-pareils (sprinkles) instead of powdered sugar, which everyone said made it look festive.
This recipe is exactly what it says-- easy for junior chefs. My five year old made the bars completely on his own. He dusted with confectioners sugar before cutting. The bars are very light and good, but I will add a little lemon extract next time. They weren't quite as tart as we like. Also, the texture takes some getting used to. They are very spongy-- not bad, just not what I expected from a lemon bar. That said, we ate the entire batch and will be making again. They are quite addicting!
