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    Grits and Pinecones » Holidays and Special Occasions » Christmas » Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    January 12, 2018 by Sharon Rigsby, Updated March 27, 2021 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars Pinterest Image

    Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars are the perfect antidote for our cold winter weather. Fresh as sunshine, and full of Vitamin C, these scrumptious lemon bars made with Meyer lemons are guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day.

    Confectioner's sugar being sifted on Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    This year, it seems that everyone with a Meyer lemon tree or almost any citrus in North Florida had a prolific harvest. All the growing conditions must have been perfect, and even a small Meyer lemon tree we have in a pot on our back patio was loaded with the juicy fruit this year. In addition, friends have graciously shared some of their bountiful Meyer lemon and grapefruit harvest with us, so we now have a year’s supply of frozen lemon and grapefruit juice and zest. I also made several jars of preserved lemons, which are a true delicacy.

    A basket of Meyer lemons just harvested for Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    Of course, with the abundance of fresh Meyer lemons, I wanted to use as many as possible while they were still fresh. These yummy lemon bars are the perfect confection to showcase their lemony goodness!

    This recipe for Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars is a little more involved and takes more time than most of my recipes, but I can assure you it’s time well spent. You will end up with luscious lemon bars with the tangy, slightly tart sweetness of lemon curd and a rich cookie shortbread crust, which is topped with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. And, speaking of a dusting, we got a rare dusting of snow lasting about 30 minutes in Tallahassee last week. For a few minutes at least, as our city ground to a halt and schools were closed, it looked like a winter wonderland!

    If you like recipes that use Meyer lemons, you might also enjoy these delicious recipes: Meyer Lemon Tart with Gingersnap Crust, Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream, and Luscious Lemon Swirl Cheesecake. 

    How to make Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    Take butter and eggs out of the refrigerator at least an hour before making the lemon bars to allow them to come to room temperature.

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

    Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

    Combine the flour and salt and with the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until everything is combined.

    Mixing all ingredients for Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    Turn the dough out into a 9×13 inch baking dish and use your hands or the bottom of a glass to compress and flatten the dough evenly into the dish. Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

    Flattening the cookie dough crust for Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Let the baking dish cool on a wire rack.

    While the crust cools, place the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour in a large bowl and whisk until well mixed.

    Pour the lemon filling over the cooled cookie crust and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees until the filling is set. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

    Adding the lemon filling to the cookie crust for Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    When cool, cut into squares and use a sifter or fine mesh strainer and liberally dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar.

    Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars being covered with confectioner's sugar

    Store any leftover lemon bars covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

    A stack of Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

     

    Confectioner's sugar being sifted on Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars
    Print Pin
    4.75 from 12 votes

    Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars

    Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars are fresh as sunshine and full of Vitamin C! This easy family-friendly lemon bar dessert recipe is made with Meyer lemons!
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Southern
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 55 minutes
    Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
    Servings 20 squares
    Calories 326kcal
    Author Sharon Rigsby

    Ingredients

    Crust Ingredients:

    • 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1/8 tsp kosher salt

    Lemon Filling:

    • 6 eggs extra large, at room temperature
    • 3 cups granulated sugar
    • 2 Tbsp lemon zest
    • 1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice may substitute fresh regular lemon juice
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

    Instructions

    • Take the butter and eggs out of the refrigerator at least an hour before making the lemon bars to allow them to come to room temperature.
    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
    • Combine the flour and salt and with the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until everything is combined.
    • Turn the dough out into a 9x13 inch baking dish and use your hands or the bottom of a glass to compress and flatten the dough evenly in the dish. Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
    • Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Let the baking dish cool on a wire rack.
    • While the crust cools, place the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour in a large bowl and whisk until well mixed.
    • Pour the lemon filling over the cooled cookie crust and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees until the filling is set. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
    • When cool, cut into squares and use a sifter or fine mesh strainer and liberally dust the bars with confectioners' sugar.
    • Store any leftover lemon bars covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

    Notes

    Nutrition

    Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 7.4mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1.3mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @gritsandpinecones or #gritsandpinecones!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barbara

      February 22, 2022 at 6:58 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sharon
      I just made these for a friend’s Birthday. They are fabulous. Thank you for posting this recipe. The crust is soooo good and the filling is perfect. Love love

      Reply
    2. Vicki

      January 15, 2022 at 9:27 pm

      5 stars
      These are delicious! My mom and husband loved them because they are so full of lemony flavor. We have two Meyer lemon trees so this will be a go to recipe to use them. I have a Limequat tree and I’m going to try the recipe using those.

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        January 16, 2022 at 8:42 pm

        Vicki, I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I haven’t ever tried making this recipe with limequats; please let me know how it goes!
        All the best,
        Sharon

        Reply
    3. Bruegge

      July 29, 2021 at 8:23 am

      Can I make the crust the nite before?

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        July 29, 2021 at 8:46 pm

        Yes, no problem!

        Reply
    4. Ronnie

      August 10, 2020 at 11:51 am

      Excellent Lemon bars. I enjoyed the cookie crust and the very lemony taste. I didn’t use as much powdered sugar on top. Everyone enjoyed them.

      Reply
    5. Nora

      February 04, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      The lemon bars were delicious !!
      Perfect mix of sweet and tart. I will definitely be making this again.

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        February 05, 2019 at 8:29 am

        Hi Nora,
        I’m so glad you enjoyed them and I appreciate your letting me know. They are a favorite of mine too!
        All my best,
        Sharon

        Reply
    6. Lisa

      May 05, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      My filling came out GREAT! But the crust was like concrete. I’m not really a baker, so I’m not real sure where I went wrong! I am going to recycle the filling and make shooters with graham cracker crust and top with whipped cream, so not a total loss!!!

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        May 06, 2018 at 4:10 pm

        Hey Lisa,
        I’m so sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I was out of town for the weekend without my computer. I can’t imagine why your crust ended up being so hard, but your solution sounds genius and I’m sure it will be delicious!
        Sincerely,
        Sharon

        Reply
    7. Elizabeth

      April 11, 2018 at 9:36 am

      Can you freeze these? We have a lemon tree, and would love to double or triple the recipe.

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        April 11, 2018 at 11:51 am

        Hi Elizabeth, I have never frozen them, but several sources on the internet say they do freeze well. The article I read says it works best to freeze the bars on one flat surface, then when they are thoroughly frozen you can put them into storage bags. Let me know how it goes if you do decide to freeze them and good luck!
        All my best,
        Sharon

        Reply
    8. Rich

      March 19, 2018 at 12:10 am

      Really great! I used 2 1/4 cups sugar in the filling (3 seemed like too much) and immediately poured it on the hot, out-of-the-oven baked crust (didn’t wait for it to cool). Texture and flavor were amazing!

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        March 19, 2018 at 11:51 am

        Hi Rich, thanks, so much for much for letting me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed the lemon bars and also really glad to see they are still just as good with less sugar!
        Thanks again!
        Sharon

        Reply
    9. Kelly @ trial and eater

      January 20, 2018 at 5:19 pm

      My grandma loves lemon bars, I will have to try these for her!

      Reply

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    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, recipe developer, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have well over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and there is nothing I like better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

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