Lemon Squares Recipe (2024)

Needs more lemon juice. This is one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes (I am a sweet-tart addict.) I was checking several copies of the recipe I have and found they are basically, through all time, the same..only varying in whether to include lemon zest in the curd or not. THIS recipe calls for 1/3 C lemon juice. All others suggest 2/3 C and I believe this is the best amount of juice to use. You can halve this recipe and use a 8" square pan.

My go-to lemon bar recipe for 16 years. I usually add more lemon juice (2/3 cup total) and add the zest from all the lemons as well.

I didn’t have any lemons on hand but substituted the canned pinto beans on my shelf. Tabasco for the confectioners sugar and a last minute swap of flour tortilla for the shortbread. Turns out as a lemon square it was awful, but I made a pretty decent burrito.

I didn't have any lemons on hand, but cherries are in season and I had an extra lime; turns out cherry lime bars are very good. Run 12-20 cherries and juice from 1-2 limes through a food processor and substitute for the lemon juice.

Try lining the pan with parchment paper--they come right off!

Why do people make so many changes to the recipe ? I can understand one or two adaptations, but some use limes, cherries, etc. & that completely changes the recipe. I always say, the first time follow the recipe & after that changes are ok.

I baked the recipe just yesterday and:Added almost three times the quantity of lemon juice (lime juice is also an excellent option, in fact).Used half (yes, HALF of the quantity of sugar, both confectioners and granulated), which was sweet enough and definitely lighter.And baked it at 250ºC instead of 350ºC for 15 min instead of 25 for the dough and then an extra 15 min for the whole cake.And the result was still amazing.

Used Myer lemons (after using all the zest for Limoncello!) and added the ground seeds of about 6 or 7 Cardamom pods to the shortbread. Also a little sea salt along with the powdered sugar on top. Definitely recommended, adds a subtlety and depth of flavor that sometimes lemon squares lack. And they pop out of the pan fine!

I'd like to hear from both sides, the people who measure with a cup and the folks who use a scale. Guaranteed that the two groups are using different quantities of flour and that would seem to be important. One cup of flour, per King Arthur, the flour people, weighs 120 grams. Your recipe shows 128 grams (x 2 = 256). Using weights is supposed to lend more accuracy to recipes but it seems that darn near every recipe writer has different numbers for their flour. Responses??

The only thing difficult about these delicious cookies is getting them out of the pan. I recommend lining the pan with foil as the lemon filling sticks to the sides of the pan and makes it hard to get them out

My best friend and I used to make "Lucy's Lemon Squares" from The Peanuts Cook Book (1969). Simple, foolproof recipe, even for a pair of eleven-year-olds. Look it up if you're having trouble with this!

I have made a number of versions of lemon squares over the years, but hadn’t baked any for quite a while. All of the recipes are pretty similar. I did not like the one with olive oil in the lemon filling. Here I was hesitant about the use of melted butter in the shortbread base. The squares turned out very tasty. I may give this recipe another try and use softened, not melted butter, and then decide which version I prefer. I must admit that this batch has been disappearing rather rapidly...

This was easy and tasty. However, next time I would use a bit less of the dough base to get a thinner crust and better crust-to-lemon ratio.

I have been making lemon bars for a long time, and just compared this recipe to my own. Mine has only 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a tablespoon of lemon peel, otherwise just the same, and I must say, they are fantastic. So I would not hesitate to follow this recipe to a "T"; I might still add some peel, though admittedly, the texture is probably smoother without it. If you prefer a more lemony taste, you can add either a little lemon oil 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. (I like Boyajian) or lemon zest.

This is a PERFECT, EASY lemon bar recipe with two tweaks:-2/3 cup lemon juice instead of 1/3 as written (takes about 4-6 lemons in my experience)-Second bake for 12-15 minutes, not 20-25 as written. Take it out AS SOON as it stops waving when you shake it. There should still be a slight wobble in the middle. Otherwise it will be over baked. It will set as it cools.Voila, perfect lemon bars that disappear at parties.

My first NYT recipe! Once I’d figured out what confectioners sugar is in the UK went pretty well but Would use a lot more lemon next time - wish I’d read other folks comments before cooking this one, also suggest doing second bake a little cooler - 170C max as it was a little brown by the time the eggs were done.

These are super fast, easy & delicious. Added another 1/3C lemon juice & reduced the sugar in the lemon topping by 1/2C. Absolutely scrumptious and the shortbread crust is to die for. SO buttery & crisp. Just like a Danish pastry (I'm 1/2 Danish....all butter, minimal sugar ;-)

Make ahead friendly?

i agree with needing more lemon. Mine came out more custard then lemon. yummy but not what I expected. will definitely try again with more as suggested.

These are so delicious and easy to make! Agree with the other comments that adding 1/2cup or more of lemon juice was necessary. The shortbread bottom is so tasty and the perfect pairing with the lemon. These were devoured up by family and friends and will become a staple at baking time!Tip: Roll out the shortbread bottom before placing into the baking pan. It made it a lot easier to mold into the pan and created an even bottom.

Very rich and delicious Next time less butter and sugarUse parchment paper Used 3 lemons and zest

Awful recipe. Do not use.

I followed this recipe exactly and found the crust to be too crumbly to hold together...seems to me there's too much butter in it. Next time I'll use less, and a bit more lemon, as others have suggested. These are deliscious, just fall apart when you pick them up.

Excellent and easy! Put parchment paper underneath crust so it was easy to extract from pan. Used double the lemon juice (2/3 cup) from 2.5 lemons, would recommend even a bit more. Baked 25 minutes for curd but should’ve done less so edges didn’t brown.

I made the recipe with no modifications--delicious and very lemony. It tastes great frozen as well. Recipe says 16 bars but they are so rich, most people eat half a bar. Actually I cut them into squares. Parchment paper helpful but cutting is a bit messy. Another shake of confectioner's sugar can cover any rough edges.

Went with the consensus: 2/3 c. lemon juice and added zest of 2 lemons to the batter. Everyone loved it!

Don’t forget the parchment paper

Used lemon zest in batterUsed lemon juice over1/3. Two large lemons. Sprinkled lime zest over batter before bakingSprinkled lime zest with powdered sugar

I added some lemon zest and ground up lavender to the sugar in the second step and it as even better. I agree with the other commenters that it isn’t quite tart enough so I added a few extra tablespoons of lemon juice as well the second time. Highly recommend adding lavender.