Apple Crumble
Samantha Seneviratne
4704 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
4,704
About 1 hour 10 minutes
Lemon Bars With Pecan Crust
Updated April 3, 2024
- Total Time
- 4¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 35 minutes, plus 2¼ hours’ chilling and cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9-by-13-inch pan
- Nonstick cooking spray or oil, for the pan
- 1¼cups/284 grams unsalted butter (2½ sticks), at room temperature
- ¼cup/50 grams packed light brown sugar
- ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour
- ⅓cup/40 grams pecans, toasted and finely ground
- 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt, such as Morton (or 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt flakes such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2cups/400 grams granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
- ½cup/64 grams all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons cornstarch or rice flour
- 1cup fresh lemon juice (from 5 lemons)
- 6large eggs, at room temperature
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
For the Crust
For the Lemon Filling
For Serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the crust: Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or rub lightly with oil and line with a piece of parchment that hangs at least 2 inches over each of the two long sides to create a sling.
- Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl using a handheld mixer or wooden spoon, cream the butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract together until combined and fluffy. Add the flour, pecans and salt and mix until combined. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Step 3
Once the crust has chilled, bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, prepare the lemon filling: In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest and rub together until fragrant and evenly distributed. Add the flour and cornstarch and combine well. Add the lemon juice and whisk together well.
- Step 5
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar mixture and whisk together until very well incorporated.
- Step 6
Place the pan with the baked crust onto a sheet pan to help transport it back into the oven. Pour the egg mixture over the crust (it’s OK if it’s still hot) and return the pan, still on the sheet pan, to the oven. Bake until evenly set (solid to the touch but soft and slightly sticky), about 25 minutes.
- Step 7
Transfer the 9-by-13-inch pan to a wire rack. Let cool and set for about 2 hours before lifting the entire slab out of the pan using the parchment sling. Place on a large cutting board and cut to preferred sizes (see Tip). To serve, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar after cutting but before separating.
Tip
- Before cutting, it is always smart to lightly score your lemon bars for the most uniform pieces. For smooth, clean edges on each bar, dip or run a sharp knife under warm water; dry the knife and make a cut while the knife is still warm. Repeat warming and drying the knife before each additional cut.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Daphne Gray-Grant
I just learned today that it’s actually NECESSARY for the crust to be warm when you add the lemon mixture — otherwise, you can get upside down lemon bars (the filling seeps below the crust). This info comes from Bon Appetit and the recipe developer who just about lost her mind testing dozens of lemon bar recipes.
GuidoJCruz
I make mine with 60% crunched almonds + almond flour and 40% flour.
Susan
Such a small amount of pecan in the crust. Can you make it with an increased ratio of pecan to flour?
Ally
Agree. My grandmother's recipe has a note: "add filling to crust hot from oven!"
Susan Sawyer
Well, my crust was definitely very warm, if not hot, and the lemon mixture seeped below the parchment on the bottom of the pan, as well as seeped into the crust. I ended up with a soggy, mushy, unappealing mess. I've never had such a horrible outcome from a recipe. I thought I had followed the recipe quite faithfully. Needless to say, I'm not going to try again.
Kathleen G.
This recipe is wonderful albeit a little labor intensive (zesting/juicing lemons, toasting and grinding almonds). I did substitute 30 grams almonds for 30 grams flour for more almond flavor. The lemon custard is very, well, lemony. That said, find a copy of the 4/7/24 NYT's magazine and read Lisa Donovan's description of her time as a private chef. It's pure poetry and a lovely piece on finding yourself and what's important in life. Delightful!
Trish
I loved reading the article, but the recipe not so much. I got upside-down bars. The topping went between the layers of parchment paper. There were several other problems with the recipe and the instructions. I won’t make it again.
Anne
Can this recipe for lemon bars be frozen?
jlachman
In a word “odd” - and not tangy enough
so gooooood
made these w walnuts because I couldn’t be bothered to buy another nut, I think it still added a good richness when toasted/ground. My lemon needed more like ~35 minutes to cook well, and kind of sunk in the middle when cooking (but still tasted great!) agree with others that you should pour the lemon/egg mixture pretty much directly after taking crust out of oven (I think I waited abt 5 mins). Would make again and experiment w some other nuts/maybe adding a bit more lemon juice
in defense of these bars
This is an excellent recipe. I suggest pressing the crust into the sides (not all the way up), but just enough to give it a lip to contain the filling. My only gripe is it took 20 mins longer to bake, but I blame my own oven. These were a crowd pleaser — some went back for thirds!
Michael
Like Susan Sawyer, I had a soggy, inedible mess. I think there is too much butter in the crust, not enough dry ingredients (especially not enough pecans). It pain me to have wasted all those eggs and butter.
Kathy in Macon
THESE DID NOT WORK. I have never had lemon bars not work. The crust was baked a little over 25 minutes, but it was not very "crispy." When I poured the egg mixture over the crust, it made a hole in the crust and dribbled out from there! I quickly stopped pouring and attempted to spoon the eggs/lemon juice mixture over the crust more gently, but it still ran down the sides (against the paper liner) and when cooked, I also ended up with lemony "layer" bars. They aren't pretty, but they are tasty.
Francis Ranwez
Will use slightly more pecans next time. Had no problem with filling seeping below crust - maybe pecans were not finely ground? A simple recipe though lengthy to execute, but a keeper for sure.
Chris K
My only quibble with this recipe is how difficult it is to put it into the pan in step 2. But it is now the most asked-for dessert I have ever made. Incredible recipe!
Don D.
Add me to the number of those who got some upside down (filling on bottom, crust on top) bars, as well as some with filling on both sides of the crust. The crust was not hot when I poured the filling into the pan. I am glad I did only half a recipe. Not the ideal lemon bar presentation.
Holly P
Love this! Lemon bars are usually too sweet for me, so I use only 1 C sugar and no powdered sugar. To prevent seepage, make sure your shortbread is pressed tightly against the pan sides. When it comes out of the oven, if it’s pulled away from the sides, use the back of a spoon to press and re-seal. When adding the curd, pour it over a spatula to prevent making divots (seepage!) in the shortbread.
Don D.
This note regarding seepage should have been part of the recipe!
Helene
Thank you Beth G for posting an alternative recipe that was SO much better. I was super disappointed in this recipe. The crust was meh. There should have been more pecans - just 1/3 c was not enough. I baked a few extra minutes since the filling was not set and then refrigerated overnight. The filling was still sticky the next morning.
Elizabeth
These are absolutely delicious. I was short on regular flour so I substituted about 80g with almond flour and it sent them over the edge - I would make them that way again!
Mary
I’ve had a terrible time with this recipe. First, it took 5 lemons to get 2 T of zest. Then after baking for 25 minutes, it’s still very soupy. I have it in for another 15 minutes, I may have to go out and purchase a dessert for my book club tonight! Ugh!
Lisa C
I liked these in terms of flavor but found the crust to be a bit mushy - I like the more crumbly firm traditional shortbread crust. But otherwise very good.
Kat Maguire
Has anyone else ever noticed that this is kind of like baked lemonade?
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