How to Make the Lemoniest Lemon Bars

Test cook Lan Lam then makes Bridget the Best Lemon Bars.

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[darcyrf]

What I love about America's Test Kitchen is that I learn new things with every recipe. I have never seen the double aluminum sling before, for example, which is so much better than parchment paper. And while I've seen plenty of recipes for adding separated yolks without the whites, I never knew it was because of the unhelpful sulfury flavor from too many whites. I did know that the sulfur smell from eggs comes from the whites, but I never put it together that the effect translates into baking. Thank you for everything you do, America's Test Kitchen!

[fce]

Lan is an incredible chef. I’m so thankful they’re featuring her more and more. And lemon squares are perhaps my favorite dessert. So this recipe is a keeper for me. Thank you Lan, Bridget, and ATK

[TraceyOfficial]

I could listen to Lan talk all day long. Her voice and demeanour are just therapeutic. and Bridget is the coolest Teacher.

[sewingwhales]

EDIT: I made the recipe as-is, it's INSANELY sweet, so much so that it made me sick to my stomach. I was really excited for tart bars, but this recipe didn't cut it for me. I adjusted it to bring out the tart-- I cut down on the sugar (1 tbsp in crust, 3/4 c in filling) and upped the lemon juice to 3/4 c. Topped with unsweetened whipped cream, it was much closer to what I wanted. I also substituted lemon for limes on one occasion, also really great.




The recipe, translated from video to text:

8x8 pan, lined with two sheets of foil to make it easy to lift the bars out of pan.

CRUST:
1 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Whisk dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and stir in, the dough should be pliable like a batter. Add to the pan and press down to make the crust as even in the pan as possible. Bake at 350 on center rack for 19-24 min (until dark golden brown). Remove from oven. It doesn't need to be cooled down to add the filling.

FILLING:
2/3 c lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp butter (not melted, can be cold)

Whisk dry ingredients. Add the eggs, whisk until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest, whisk until smooth. Add the filling to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat and stir constantly until it reaches 160 (use a candy thermometer), it should take around 5-8 minutes. Move the saucepan off the heat, add the butter and stir in until it's melted in (butter should be room temperature or cold so that it helps cool the filling). Strain filling to remove the zest and ensure the mixture is completely smooth. Pour filling into the crust pan, make sure it's evenly distributed.

Bake at 350 until the filling just barely sets (about 8-12 minutes), jiggle the pan a bit to make sure it's done.

Let cool for 90 minutes. Use the foil to gently pull the bars out of the pan and cut them up after you remove them.

[djokicmetamora]

Lan Lam is the Bam Bam. Bridget is the Best! Thanks from a Lemon Lover!🍋

[CanuckChoy]

More of Lan please! I love her in depth explanations and joy of cooking!!

[emp]

Thumbs up from the lemon lover in my life. She's never been satisfied before with enough lemony taste. This recipe is a keeper!

[HmmmYeahRiiiiiight]

I'm going to make this and finish it with the cranberry tart filling Lan made for thanksgiving last year. Lemon Cranberry bars helz yeah!

[flexmasterson]

Made some for my wife, who grew up with a huge Meyer lemon tree in the yard and a Hippie mother who made lemon treats galore. This recipe met with her 5-star approval. Nice work.

[IngaHicks]

Taking a tip from Emma's Goodies, zest the lemon right over whatever liquid you're using in your recipe and it will make a huge difference in how much lemon flavor gets in the dessert. She says zesting the lemon right over the liquid gets more of the oil in it, and therefore gets more lemon flavor in the recipe. It really works too!

[rvissues]

I've made this recipe at least 5 times this past month...im obsessed...and I'm so happy you guys shared it with us little people!! 😊

[semco]

I have seen this video clip where Lan made this pan of lemon bars so many times and I would love to be making some myself, but I probably could never make one like her's. She is a treasure to the show and I love watching her cook.

[sunnybux]

I love you guys. I got rid of all of my cookbooks and my moms as well. All I have is yours. I recommend you to everyone I meet. I have a lemon tree in my yard, I am looking forward to trying this recipe.

[gloriahopf]

Wonderful presentation I love the pie crust. It looks easy. No rubbing or guessing the quantity of liquid. No rolling either. Love that it is baked successfully without parchment lining and baking beads and that it can be topped while still warm. All the usual no-no’s ignored and a fantastic end result. We used to buy lemon tarts that had a real zingy lemony filling that I have never been able to replicate. I’m hoping the secret is in the cream of tartar. Thank you so much

[ethan]

I made this with closer to 1 cup of Meyer lemon juice, and used 3/4 cup of sugar and it turned out perfectly

[kineticfractal]

I just made these lemon bars and they are lovely. However, although I am definitely in favor of a lemony taste, I think I'll decrease the amount of cream of tartar. To be fair, I cut a tiny square after cooling, but before refrigerating, so I'll wait to see if the flavor moderates after chilling. The little bit I sampled was really, really puckery and very good, but a bit too lemony (I never thought that was possible, until now!). The crust is wonderful, both in texture and taste. I'll edit this, if needed, after chilling and serving - thank you for the recipe... Edit: Post refrigeration, the tartness has mellowed, but I will reduce the cream of tartar to 1 tsp on future remakes.

[zhuiri]

Shout out to Lan! She's done my favorite recipes so far. Always fun to see her on the screen. I just tried her French Fry recipe last weekend and they turned out great—couldn't believe how crispy they were. Can't wait to try this recipe. Keep 'em coming!

[stellaartois]

i found this recipe quite easy once you have all the prep done. As the curd mixture was cooking, i took a tiny taste and it was so lemony, it tasted bitter. I added 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar to calm it down. Next time I would only use 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tarter if any.

[yisooxe]

I've made this recipe and The Barefoot Contessa recipe. The ATK recipe is my fave as it's less sugar and more pucker. The Pete &Gerry eggs make a positive difference in bright yellow hue.

[tamibell]

My Mom loves any kind of lemon desserts. This is definitely going to be a delicious surprise for her! Thank you for sharing!❤