Best Lemon Bar Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why can't I use a metal pan for lemon bars? ›

Bake in glass: Always bake in glass pans to avoid a metallic taste. Always par-bake: For a crispy crust, thoroughly par-bake your crust until it's golden brown so that it stays crisp. Use fresh lemon juice: Always use fresh lemon juice for the absolute best flavor!

A tomato knife is just right for this task. Unlike a chef's knife, which has a blade that is on the thick side, a tomato knife is sharp, but thin and delicate. Meaning, it won't smash or mess up the edges of your lemon bars the way other knives do. With this knife, you will get a clean cut without any jagged edges.

Cool: I usually cool the lemon bars for about 1 hour at room temperature, then stick the whole pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until relatively chilled. They're wonderful cold and with a dusting of confectioners' sugar on top!

Why are my lemon bars brown on top? Check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer periodically to make sure the settings are correct. If you find that your desserts brown too quickly on the top, bake on a lower rack in your oven to prevent this from happening.

So, for a cup of fresh lemon juice, you would need 5 and a quarter lemons. But, because some lemons are less juicy than others, it's safe to say you'd need 5 and a half lemons for a cup of lemon juice.

Metal can react with the acidity in the lemon juice, so to prevent a metallic taste in your lemon bars, ensure the cake tin is competely covered with parchment paper, or you can use a glass or ceramic dish too. Still line it though, as parchment paper will make it easier to take the lemon bars out once they're done.

Depends on the size of the pan, scaling of the recipe, and the appetite of the diners. If it's a regular recipe or a boxed mix, it will likely be a 9x9 pan, which I usually cut into about 9 bars, or a 9x13 pan, which I usually cut into 12 servings.

The most common reason for gooey lemon bars is they're undercooked. Be sure to bake them until the top is fully set and no longer jiggly in the middle. You'll also notice the edges will start to brown.

Lemon bars should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated in order to prevent bacterial growth or foodborne illness. The filling in lemon bars is made with eggs and can become a breeding ground for bacteria if it's kept in the danger zone (between 41 and 153 degrees F).

To Keep Powdered Sugar from Melting, Add Cornstarch

So go slow and be conservative with the amount of cornstarch you add. A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of cornstarch for every 1/4 cup of powdered sugar used.

Why are my lemon bars runny? ›

Why are my lemon bars runny? Runny Lemon Bars are most likely caused from under baking.

Icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar, is made by finely grinding granulated sugar until it is a very fine powder.

I have found that a hot, wet, very sharp knife helps quite a bit. Also, make sure the bars are completely chilled before cutting.

Why do Lemon Bars smell eggy? The recipe contains a large amount of eggs but this shouldn't make them have an eggy texture of smell eggy. Make sure you haven't skipped out on the zest and are using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavour.

Lemon zest adds a tangy taste but can add a bitter taste as well. TIP: When grating lemon rind, watch out that you grate just the yellow rind and not the white one. The white part of the rind is very bitter, and when you accidentally take too much of it, the filling can get a bitter taste.

Moreover, lemon juice is considered to be highly corrosive. If lemon juice comes into an extensive contact with the metals or metallic containers (even metals like stainless steel quality), containers can lead to micro-particle metal leaching.

Bakes more slowly than glass: Interestingly enough, however, metal pans bake things more slowly than glass pans do. Because of this, if a recipe calls for a glass pan and you decide to use a metal pan instead, be sure to add a few minutes to the baking time.

Stainless steel is a great alternative that is commonly used in food preparation, wine making, and brewing industries. It is durable, won't leach chemicals into your beverages, and does not retain flavors or smells. Additionally, it's perfectly safe for lemon water!

When the two interact, it creates a reaction. In the case of cooking with lemon on aluminum, the citric acid in the fruit is strong enough to cause the foil to break down into small particles that will leach into your food, giving it an off-putting gray color and a metallic taste.