Safta’s Lemon Bars

This is my Safta’s recipe. (Safta means Grandma in Hebrew.) She made it for all types of family gatherings and there were never any leftovers. Fresh lemons are the key to creating a wonderfully tart and visually bright lemon bar. The filling is velvety smooth and the buttery crust adds the perfect flakey base. You won’t want to miss out on this melt-in-your-mouth dessert.

Lemon Bars

You'll need to make these lemon bars ahead of time to give them a chance to cool properly before sprinkling them with powdered sugar and cutting.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Filling

• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 lemons
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and add parchment paper to a 9×11 glass baking dish.
• Cut butter into small pieces. Mix with flour and powdered sugar. Go in with your hands and mix until incorporated. You should end up with a crumbly mixture like pie dough.
• Pour the crust mixture into the baking dish and push down with your fingers until you've created an even layer.
• Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, beat eggs. Mix in flour and sugar and add the lemon juice.
• Once the crust has pre-baked, pour the filling into the crust.
• Put back into the oven for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure an even bake from front to back. Check the filling to make sure it's fully set up yet not overcooked.
• Remove from the oven and cool on the counter for 30 minutes before placing in the fridge to fully cool.
• Once cool, sift powdered sugar on top of the lemon bars.
• Cut and serve. Store in the fridge in a sealed container.

Notes

It can be challenging to tell if the center of the lemon bars are baked properly. It’s best to give your dish a very gentle shake to see if the center moves or not. You know your lemon bars are done if the center gives a slight jiggle but springs back into place. If the center is not set, it will look like it’s still partially liquid and not bounce back into place when you give it a jiggle. 

These lemon bars will stay good for a week in the refrigerator in a sealed container.