Lemon Lime Bars

Lime bars cut into squares and topped with powdered sugar and lime slices.

5 from 9 votes

This easy lemon lime bars recipe is a crowd favorite. They have a buttery shortbread crust tart and a luscious lemon lime filling.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Cooling Time2

Total Time3 20

Course: Bars, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: bars

Calories: 194kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

1 lime zested, use zest only
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup powdered sugar plus more for decorating
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Lemon Lime Filling

1 tablespoon lime zest from about 1½ limes, or lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice from 1 medium or large lemon
¼ cup lime juice about 2-3 limes
1½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs room temperature

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Shortbread Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. Place two overlapping strips going in either direction with some parchment hanging over both sides of the pan.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir the lime zest into the flour. Stir in the baking powder, powdered sugar, and cornstarch. Add the cubed butter. Toss the butter to coat. Use a pastry cutter, fork or your hands to work the butter in until it resembles coarse meal.
Use your fingertips or the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup to press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan.
Bake for 11-15 minutes, until edges are very lightly golden.

Lime Filling

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, lime zest, lemon juice and lime juice. Whisk in the flour. Avoid overmixing.
When the crust has finished baking, give the filling mixture a final stir then pour it over the crust. Immediately return the pan to the oven and bake another 28-30 minutes, or until the filling is set. The bars are ready when the edges are set and the filling is a little wiggly but not liquid. They'll continue to set as they cool then chill.
Set pan on a wire rack. Allow bars to cool completely at room temperature for about 1 hour then place the whole pan in the refrigerator to chill for another 1-2 more hours so that bars are somewhat chilled when serving.
When ready to serve, lift the bars out of the pan. Dust some powdered sugar and zest a little fresh lime on top. Use a long sharp knife to cut bars into 9, 12, or 16 squares and enjoy!

Notes

Juice: I highly recommend fresh lime or lemon juice. Freshly squeezed juice has much better flavor.

Air bubbles: Do not overmix the filling and add the eggs and lemon juice at the same time. This will prevent lots of air bubbles from forming on top. It's normal for air bubbles or even a white layer of air bubbles to form on top of your baked bars. These are from the air from the eggs rising to the surface. The bars will still taste the same. You can cover the bubbles up by dusting powdered sugar over them before serving!

Cool and chill: I let the bars cool at room temperature for about 1 hour. After that, I set the pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours til they're somewhat chilled.

Cutting: Use a long sharp knife. Wipe knife clean between each cut.

Storage: Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store in a single layer. You can also freeze them for up to two months.

Nutrition