This Lemon Cookie Bars recipe is about to become your new favourite lemony treat. But be warned - soft and sweet with a burst of citrus, these lemon sugar cookie bars won't last long!
Cookie bars are the easy way to make sugar cookies without needing to roll out your dough or get out the cookie cutters (and then hope they don't spread). It all just goes into the tin, spread it out and let it bake!
I'm a sucker for a lemon dessert, and the easier the better. And these are dangerously easy. No stand mixer or creaming of butter and sugar required - just melt, mix and bake, then slice. Done. Soft, crumbly, and lemon-licious lemon cookie bars.
If you are feeling a little bit fancy, you can even add a lemon glaze or a cream cheese glaze using this recipe.
Table of Contents
Why I think you'll love this recipe
- Simple melt and mix recipe - great for new bakers or to get the kids helping!
- No need to roll out dough or cut out cookies.
- Perfect for lemon lovers.
What you need to make this recipe
*Please see the recipe card below for a full ingredient list with exact quantities and detailed instructions
- plain flour - all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- caster sugar
- fresh lemon (juice and zest)
- salted butter
- an egg
- vanilla extract
*Please see the recipe card below for a full ingredient list with exact quantities and detailed instructions
- salted butter - substitute with unsalted butter and a pinch of salt
- Whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Combine sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl, and rub the zest into the sugar with a spatula.
- Mix in melted butter.
- Then the lemon juice, vanilla and the egg.
Want to save this recipe?
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
- Add in the flour mixture.
- Tip the mixture into a greased and lined pan and bake.
My top tips for the best result
- Grate the lemon zest directly over the bowl containing the sugar (so the oils that are released go into the bowl too), and don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl. If you watch closely when you grate the zest of citrus fruits, you will be amazed at how much oil is released and how far it spreads.
- Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar works to increase the lemon flavour in the bars by the abrasive nature of the sugar breaking down the zest slightly and releasing the natural oils contained in the zest.
- Underbaking is best for these cookie bars; this will keep them rich and moist.
- Don't overmix the batter; this can make the bars less soft.
Storage
Store leftovers of these bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
They are best served at room temperature to maximise the lemon taste.
Lemon cookie bars are suitable for freezing.
Other lemon recipes you may enjoy
Lemon Coconut No Bake-Slice - my version of a no-bake lemon bar recipe, this condensed milk slice recipe is a reader favourite. Moist biscuit and lemon base with a thick layer of fluffy, zesty lemon frosting on top.
Lemon Tiramisu - a delicious no-bake dessert with layers of savoiardi biscuits, mascarpone cream and lemon curd.
Lemon Loaf - a sweet treat bursting with lemon taste. This quick lemon bread is rich and moist with a zingy lemon glaze.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Cookie Dough Cookies - soft, rich cookies made with brown sugar and quickly baked to leave the centre lovely and soft.
Gingerbread Slice - with moisture from light and dark brown sugar, golden syrup and molasses, this soft and chewy gingerbread slice is the easy alternative to gingerbread cookies. No rolling dough or cookie cutters. Just bake and slice.
Nutella Bars - another recipe for easy, melt and mix bars - these are chewy chocolate chip cookie bars with a swirl of Nutella.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 190 grams plain flour (all-purpose flour) sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder sifted
- 150 grams caster sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- zest of 1 lemon finely grated (see my notes)
- 120 grams salted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Watch me make this recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160℃.
- Grease and line a 20cm (8") square baking pan with baking/parchment paper (leaving some overhang for removal) and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, place plain flour and baking powder and whisk to combine, then set aside.190 grams plain flour (all-purpose flour)½ teaspoon baking powder
- In a large bowl, combine caster sugar and grated lemon zest, and using a flexible spatula, rub the lemon zest into the sugar to release the oils.150 grams caster sugarzest of 1 lemon
- Mix in the melted butter.120 grams salted butter
- Then add the lemon juice, vanilla and egg, and mix to combine.1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 egg
- Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, pushing it into the corners and roughly smoothing the top.
- Evenly sprinkle over extra sugar, then bake for 19 - 22 minutes, or until the centre is just set, the edges are starting to lightly brown, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Grate your lemon zest directly over the bowl containing the sugar (so the oils that spray out as you grate it go into the bowl), and don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl too for the same reason.
- Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar increases the lemon flavour by the abrasive nature of the sugar crystals breaking down the zest slightly and releasing more of the natural oils.
- Don't overbake; underbaking will help keep them moist.
Want to save this recipe?
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Leave a Reply