Lemon Bars With Graham Cracker Crust

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These lemon bars with graham cracker crust have a superbly tart, candy and creamy lemon filling nestled in a buttery graham cracker crust. The proper dessert for lemon lovers, these simple lemon squares are easy to make, and are nice for picnics, bake gross sales, and extra! In addition they occur to be gluten free and include a dairy free possibility too!

Lemon bars with graham cracker crust stacked on parchment paper.

These basic lemon bars have a buttery home made graham cracker crust and are bursting with contemporary lemon taste.

Contemporary lemons give me all of the spring & summer time vibes and make me wish to whip up all of my favourite lemon desserts, like my vegan lemon tart, vegan lemon cupcakes, and naturally now my new favourite, these creamy lemon squares!

Many lemon dessert bars are made with a shortbread crust, however I really like graham cracker crusts in baked items, so I made a decision to change up the basic recipe to make these lemon bars with graham cracker crust!

These make an amazing summer time dessert however they’re nice to take pleasure in anytime, and are good to take to a celebration or get-together. They’re completely sweetened and tremendous child pleasant too. There are a number of variations you’ll be able to take a look at under, together with a solution to make this a gluten free dairy free lemon bars recipe!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

Easy elements
Prepared in simply half-hour
Gluten free
Dairy free possibility
Child pleasant
Nice for any event
Will be frozen
Finest lemon bars with graham cracker crust ever!

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🥘 Components

Yow will discover all of those elements at most grocery shops! For a full record of elements and directions to make these lemon bar bites, see the recipe card on the backside of this publish.

Graham Cracker Crust

Gluten-Free Graham Crackers: To make this scrumptious recipe gluten free pleasant, I used gluten free graham crackers. Graham crackers are usually not naturally gluten-free, so that you’ll should particularly purchase them gluten-free. However you need to use common graham crackers when you don’t want this recipe to be gluten-free.
Mild Brown Sugar & Melted Butter: Darkish brown sugar has twice the quantity of molasses in it and extra of a wealthy caramel taste. Mild brown sugar is really useful for this recipe to maintain the flavour gentle and never overbearing. Melted butter is used to mix the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar for this scrumptious crust.

Lemon Filling & Topping

White Sugar & Vanilla: White granulated sugar sweetens up these gluten free lemon squares and counters the tartness of the lemons. Vanilla extract provides extra depth, richness and brings out the sweetness of this recipe.
Tapioca Flour & Gluten Free Flour: Tapioca flour may be very nice, not gritty, and helps maintain the lemon filling clean whereas firming it up. Gluten free flour helps thicken up the lemon filling for these creamy lemon bars with graham cracker crust.
Giant Eggs: Eggs act as a binding agent for these lemon bar bites and the egg yolks particularly offers the lemon curd a richer taste.
Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest: Contemporary common lemons give this lemon squares with graham cracker crust recipe its daring lemon taste. And a little bit lemon zest goes a great distance! I completely love meyer lemons and suggest utilizing them on this recipe if you will discover them!
(Non-compulsory Topping) Powdered Sugar: This ingredient will not be a part of the lemon filling, and is non-compulsory, however powdered sugar provides a contact of soppy sweetness and ornament to those lemon graham cracker bars.

🔪 Directions

Preheat Oven, Prep Graham Crackers: Preheat the oven to 350 levels F / 180 C. Line an 8”x8” sq. baking dish or cake tin with baking paper, put aside. Add sufficient graham crackers to make 1 cup of finely floor crumbs to a excessive pace meals processor and mix till finely floor.

Graham cracker crumbs in a food processor.

Combine Crust Components: Add the crumbs, butter and brown sugar to a mixing bowl, combine till nicely mixed.

Graham cracker crumbs mixed with butter and sugar in a bowl.

Press Crust Into Ready Baking Pan: Firmly press the press graham cracker combination into the underside of the pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Graham cracker crust baked in a baking dish.

Create Lemon Combination: Whereas the graham crust is cooking, whisk the lemon filling elements collectively in a big mixing bowl till it’s clean and has no lumps.

Lemon curd mixture combined in a mixing bowl.

Pour Filling Into Base: When the crust has completed cooking and is calmly golden brown, take away from the oven and gently pour the lemon curd filling into the baked crust.

Lemon curd poured into graham cracker crust in a baking dish.

Bake Once more: Cut back the oven temperature to 320 levels F / 160 C. Return the bars to the oven and cook dinner for an additional 20 minutes. You’ll know the bars are achieved when the middle is now not jiggly and the skin edges are simply beginning to flip a lightweight golden coloration.

Lemon squares still in the baking dish, fresh out of the oven, ready to be cut.

Cool At Room Temperature: Take away and funky barely at room temperature (about 15-20 minutes) transferring to the fridge to chill fully. Chill for a minimum of 5 hours within the fridge (or in a single day) earlier than slicing into 16 small squares with a pointy knife. As soon as chilled, calmly mud the tops of the chilled lemon bars with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Word: These simple lemon bars with graham cracker crust are finest served chilled. Preserving them cool will forestall them from getting runny or mushy.

Gluten free lemon bars with graham cracker crust cut into squares on a cutting board.

💭 Knowledgeable Ideas

To chop these bars into further clear slices, fill a bowl with heat water, dip the knife within the heat water, wipe it dry, and make one minimize. Repeat this course of for every minimize. Make certain to sit back the bars earlier than chopping them.
To keep away from your crust falling aside, ensure that your graham cracker crumbs are crushed into tremendous nice crumbs, line your baking dish with parchment paper, and firmly press the bottom elements into the baking dish utilizing the underside of a measuring cup or the again of a spoon. Finely crushed crumbs + urgent the bottom firmly collectively will forestall it from falling aside when chopping or consuming. And the parchment paper is essential for straightforward elimination and for not breaking the bars by chance.
Use contemporary lemon juice and contemporary lemon zest for one of the best taste. Word: Every lemon has about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.
Use room temperature eggs and whisk the custard constantly to keep away from clumps. Be affected person, and proceed to whisk till a custard like consistency types.
To ensure your lemon filling units correctly, ensure that the bars are baked fully (test by shaking the pan barely if you assume the bars are achieved – you don’t need the filling to jiggle like Jell-O – meaning the bars aren’t achieved). You additionally wish to ensure that to permit for a minimum of 5 hours within the fridge so the bars have time to set earlier than slicing.
Use the spoon & degree methodology for measuring. When measuring your flour, use the spoon and degree methodology for accuracy (spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then degree it with the again of a knife).
Mud with powdered sugar proper earlier than serving. Make certain the bars are fully cool earlier than dusting them with powdered sugar to stop condensation from forming on high.

📖 Variations

No Bake Lemon Bars: No bake lemon curd bars are made with lemon pudding and shortbread cookies. These are an amazing possibility for summer time if you don’t wish to use the oven.
Low Sugar Lemon Bars: These bars may be made low sugar by utilizing granulated monk fruit or stevia as a substitute of normal sugar. The one factor is, you’ll should style as you go, since monk fruit has a distinct sweetness degree than sugar. Alternatively, you can also make wholesome lemon bars by chopping the whole quantity of normal sugar on this recipe in half and simply use half the quantity of sugar. Needless to say the bars might be extra tart than candy when you do that!
Dairy Free Lemon Bars: To make these dairy free, all you must do is use vegan butter as a substitute of normal butter.
Vegan Lemon Bars: These can simply be made into vegan gluten free lemon bars by making the crust of the bars with out butter and utilizing vegan butter as a substitute. For the filling, you’d use full fats coconut milk or canned coconut cream to make eggless lemon bars. I’d suggest making an attempt this vegan lemon bars recipe!

❓Recipe FAQs

Why do my lemon bars style eggy?

In case your lemon bar with graham cracker crust tastes eggy it’s in all probability as a result of it’s been overcooked. Guarantee that the custard is now not runny however solely cook dinner these graham cracker lemon bars till the custard is about.

Why are my lemon bars not setting?

Lemon graham cracker bars are often solely runny if they’re undercooked. Attempt cooking them a bit longer. If this isn’t the issue, you could have gotten a little bit off on the measurements for the lemon filling. Chilling them for longer within the fridge and maintaining them chilly will assist them keep thicker.

Why are my lemon bars mushy?

If the lemon bar recipe with graham cracker crust continues to be mushy, give it some extra time within the oven. The filling ought to now not be jiggly, it must be fully set. Watch out to not overcook, as this will alter the flavour.

How do you thicken lemon bar filling?

You possibly can add a little bit cornstarch to your gluten free lemon bar filling to thicken it up a bit. After all, this must be added earlier than pouring your filling onto the graham cracker crust.

How do you make a graham cracker crust not soggy?

One of the simplest ways to keep away from a soggy graham cracker crust is to pre-bake or blind bake your graham cracker crust for lemon bars earlier than including the filling.

The way to retailer leftover lemon bars with a graham cracker crust?

Lemon squares with graham cracker crust must be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Serve them chilled, straight out of the fridge.

Leftover bars can be frozen. To freeze the bars, allow them to cool fully, and canopy them tightly with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or in a freezer bag for as much as 1 month. Thaw within the fridge for a minimum of just a few hours earlier than serving.

Graham cracker lemon bars served on a white tray.

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