Who said that dessert has to be chocolate or vanilla? There are so many flavors in the world that we never have to limit ourselves to one or the other. Besides, sometimes you’re not in the mood for a heavy and rich dessert, but you still feel like having something sweet to satisfy your craving after dinner. The solution is creamy lemon squares! It is the perfect mix of creamy and sweet with fresh and citrusy.
Bake creamy lemon squares to impress your guests or treat yourself after a hard day at work. Though the recipe requires some preparation, you’d be surprised just how many ingredients you might already have at home. All you need is butter, graham crackers, sugar, eggs, condensed milk, and lemon juice.
Do you want to treat yourself to a creamy citrusy dessert? I know you do, so keep on reading!
How to make Creamy Lemon Squares?
Preheat your oven to 350 F or 180 C degrees.
Grab a square-shaped baking dish and brush it with some melted butter.
Crush graham crackers into a mixing bowl.
Add sugar and butter to the mix and mix it all together.
Take your mixture and press it into the pan to create your crust or outer layer.
Bake the crust until it turns light brown. That should take about 8-12 minutes.
Cool the crust for 30 minutes.
While the crust is cooling, you can make your filling! Start by taking a large bowl, and whisking your egg yolks and condensed milk together.
Add lemon juice to that mixture and whisk it in.
Once the crust has cooled, pour your filling into the crust and make sure it covers the whole surface.
Put the baking dish back in the oven and bake until the filling sets. That should take around 15 minutes.
Once it’s ready, wait for your dish to cool.
Chill the dessert for at least one hour.
Serve your creamy lemon squares with whipped cream!
Why are my lemon bars runny?
Nobody likes a runny lemon bar! The reason for it could be an under-baked crust. That is very easy to fix. All you have to do is make sure that the crust is not too thick, so it can fully bake through. Preheat your oven before you put the crust in. Finally, don’t take the crust out of the oven too early!
What’s the right consistency for lemon squares?
Lemon squares are a bit tricky; it’s difficult to get the consistency right, especially on the first try. You want them to be creamy and gooey, but not raw and runny. Believe it or not, there’s a fine line between the two. In order to get a perfect consistency, you need to allow them to set after you’re done baking. If you eat them too soon, they will likely be too runny to enjoy.
Do lemon bars need to be refrigerated?
Yes. The main ingredient is custard, so you should definitely refrigerate any leftovers you’re not going to finish today.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
- 1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F / 180C degrees.
- Brush a square baking dish with melted butter.
- Crush graham crackers
- Then add in sugar and butter and blend to mix.
- Press mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.
- Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes.
- Cool crust, 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk.
- Add lemon juice; whisk until smooth.
- Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.
- Bake until set, about 15 minutes.
- Cool in pan on rack.
- Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve with whipped cream.
Nutrition
Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg Nutrition Values are estimates only.