Lemon Cream Bars

Lemony, creamy and crunchy delicious dessert! A must for your summer parties!

I have a funny story about lemon bars. The first lemon bars I ever made were from a box. I was newly out of college, and I had my own kitchen for the very first time. I misread the directions and added double the amount of butter, so I think I added like 4 sticks total. The end product was greasy and oily-lemony, but strangely delicious. I called them my Artery Cloggers. Being just out of college, money was tight so I refused to let them go to waste. I clogged up my arteries properly by finishing the entire pan! Mmm! In fact lemon is so fun to bake with, the possibilities seem endless. Try my Lemon Ice Box Cake for more lemony goodness.

And these lemon bars are so much better, even sans tons of butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8×8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

Using a hand-held mixer, mix until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until incorporated.

Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Add 1/2 cup oats to the remainder of the crumb mixture in the bowl. Mix together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine:

One 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Zest from 1 lemon

Whisk until creamy. Spread over top of the pressed crumb mixture in the pan.

Top with the other half of the crumb mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and store in the refrigerator.

See? Way better than Artery Cloggers!

Lemon Cream Bars

Lemony, creamy, crunchy dessert bars!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bars, cream, lemon

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 244kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oats
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• Zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8×8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer, mix the butter and brown sugar until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until incorporated. Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Add the oats to the other half of the mixture still in the bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest until creamy. Spread over top of the pressed crumb mixture in the pan. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and store in refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg