Lemon Squares Recipe (2024)

Amazing! My brother said they were the best dessert ever and the whole pan was gone in less than three hours. Tangy, sweet, and crunchy- the perfect combination for a sweet summer treat. I also used .5 ounces white whole wheat flour and could probably even add more next time. A new favorite!

Delicious!! Tastes decadent even though its a healthier version. YUM!

The pine nuts elevate these lemon bars to a special treat. The flavor is amazing. Now this is my go to lemon bar recipe.

Fairly easy recipe.i just made it for a middle of the night sweet crave and worked perfectly for me I made it with a 9" dish which turned it thin, brown and crispy much more than I think it should, it broke up alittle bit when I tryed to cut it to squares . For the next time I will remove it from the over alittle under 20 mints , and will remove the pine nuts as they tasted stronge for a lemon dessert. Overall am happy that it's a healthy and super easy dessert.

To AnthonyCe - LOL The squares are 2". The 16 referred to the total number of bars, not how many you cut on each side. Every 2" is 4x4 which is the 16. You had me going for a minute!

Always loved my mom's lemon squares from J of C--but 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sweetened coconut? Just not okay anymore, if it ever was. These are delicious, and the flavor is so pungent and tart that one is satisfying enough for me. They're not the same texture as the high fat variety, but they are good as themselves! I used 1/4 cup whole wheat flour in the crust, which gave it a pleasant textural effect, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The pine nuts are delicious, but almonds could certainly substitute for budgetary reasons.

I thought this recipe was great! I love the pine nuts in the base. (i made pesto all the time so i buy the big bag at costco and leave it in the freezer). I would definitely cook it a bit more to get a smidge more brown. I didn't have all fresh lemon juice, so some was from the bottle, but i thought it all turned out great! I cut them into 16 peices and put them into muffin liners to make them a bit more festive and easier to handle, since they were not "stiff".

@Anthony- your math is off; these squares are 2x2" once the 8x8 dish is cut into 16 squares. Great recipe, subbed almond meal for pecans and upped the zest.

The lemon squares tasted great but I was very disappointed to see that the serving size for this recipe is one 1/2 inch square! Do you know how small that is???! Who would ever serve a 1/2 inch square lemon bar to 16 people? A normal size portion would be a 2" square and guess what the calorie count is then? Some makeover!

This was pretty quick and easy to make. Instead of (pricey) pine nuts I uses pecans. Liked them. Will make again.

I love lemon, so this really hit the spot. The pine nuts added a nice subtle nutty flavor and I added two teaspoons of rind because I love a nice punch of lemon. I couldn't wait for it to cool off and I'll say they are better warm! These will be made many, many times.

Very easy for a non-baker such as myself. A bit too tart, but I think I overdid it on the lemon rind. Good texture on both crust and body. Overall, quick and tasty enough that I would definitely try it again.

Wonderfully easy and scrumptious. I added a more lemon zest which bumped the flavor a tad.

Used pistachios instead of pinenuts as I had them on hand (did not add salt as the pistachios were salted). Started the recipe only to realize no butter. Used goat cheese instead of the butter with 1/8 teaspoon of butter flavor, fantastic flavor. Excellent Lemon squares. Might try with butter next time.

Loved it! Very rich so I couldn't eat too much at once. I didn't toast the pine nuts this time but will toast them next time. (some bites were too pine-nutty)

Delish! This recipe is easy to make and the lemony flavor is great. They're not too sweet - the focus is definitely on the lemon. I didn't toast the pine nuts the first time, and they were a bit too pine nutty-flavored, so definitely take the time to quickly roast them!

Easy and delicious. Very lemony, I didn't miss the fat at all.

Wow I've made many lemon bar recipes but this is the best and....healthier! But it tastes better than the others as its not too sweet or having a greasy crust. Very easy to make and recipe worked perfectly. We all loved it. Infinitely better than Ina Gartens recipe and she usually is my favorite. Big hit for CL again!! .

These were great, made exactly according to the recipe. Don't wait for the cookie layer to brown. Excellent!

These are fantastic! Tart with just the right amount of sweetness. Easy too. I messed up and used regular sugar in the crust instead of confectioners, and it turned out fine. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written. Also, I put my leftovers in the fridge (in a glass container separated with wax paper) and they were still good the next two days. They didn't last longer than that because we ate them all.

Huge lemon fan and this recipe caught my eye right away because I was looking for a a refreshing dessert to share with some special friends. Toasting nuts wasa new technique-easily done in my toaster oven. Will be toasting ALL my nuts in the future. Followed this recipe exactly (including weighing the flour) and it was surprisingly easy. The crust was the perfect texture and the custard had just the right bright, tangy flavor and the lemon color was so festive (a few sprig of mint or fresh blackberries as toppers would bea lovely variation). Everyone loved this dessert. This is a keeper. But serve it the someday you make it. The crust goes soggy if it sits overnight.

I LOVE these bars! I made the batch exactly as prescribed except for the crust for the powdered sugar - I really can't stand store bought powdered sugar, so I put 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into a grinder and pulsed a couple of times to sub out for powered sugar. The crust took a little longer to brown in the oven, but otherwise, my sub was not a problem in the texture of the recipe. While the crust by itself tasted a LOT like pine nuts, after the squares set in the fridge, I thought the crust with the lemon custard (I used extra rind and juice) really was amazing and tasted almost like a graham cracker crust would. The custard was fantastically creamy and you would never know these are "lightened" by the texture; So refreshing, with a fantastic tang! Bonus: when served with fresh berries on top, the presentation was gorgeous and the crust cut so nice, you could make these "mini" desserts. I will definitely be making these again as my new favorite summer lemon dessert - enjoy!

The first time I made this it turned out horrible! I gave it one star and vowed never to make again. I couldn't get the disaster out of my mind and couldn't let these lemon bars get the best of me so I tried again. They turned out amazing! I've since made them several times. Every time they are a hit! In fact, took them to a party where someone else had also brought lemon squares and I had so many whispers in my ear that mine were by far superior.

I purposely under baked the crust, however, next time I make it will use 3 Tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon canola oil. I believe it is essential to measure the flour so as to not have it overly dry. That being said, the bars were fabulous. I was skeptical of using pine nuts in the crust, but they were barely detectable. Overall I was quite pleased with the recipe.

Lemon squares is one of my husband's favorite desserts so I was very reluctant to make a "light" version (he can always tell!) but these were fantastic! I made 2 batches, the first did not turn out as well because I over-baked the crust waiting for it to turn brown like the directions said. Note that this crust does not brown (maybe just a little on the edges, so leaving it in for 18-20 minutes tops so that the crust stays crumbly. Also, let the crust cool a little before adding the lemon filling because if it's too hot when you add it it will also over-bake and you wont get such a fluffy lemon filling. These were excellent and are now my go-to recipe to bring to get togethers!

Made it today.......made a mistake by adding one egg to many so added a little flour and cooked a little longer and it was great!

This recipe turned out great. I used probably twice the lemon peel, just because I didn't want to waste it. And my canola oil was a canola, soy, olive oil blend, and the taste was still good.