These gluten free lemon bars are next-level good, thanks in part to a brown butter shortbread crust. When life gives you lemons, don’t stress — make these lemon bars instead, and everything will be right again. This recipe is a sponsored collaboration with Bob’s Red Mill. Thank you for supporting the brands that I love and use regularly.
We are in the thick of it now. The diapers, the fights over who gets to wear the Elsa dress today, the need for a snack or water every 20 minutes. The bumps, the boo boos, the baths where half the water from the tub is left splashed all over the walls. Some days, I can embrace the chaos. Other days, I am in desperate need of a vacation from it — but since that is far out of reach, I grab one of these gluten free lemon bars instead. And, if even for a few moments, I am transported to somewhere as bright and sunny as the sweet lemon filling in these bars. Did I mention it’s also quiet there? That part is especially nice.
Don’t get me wrong — I love this time of life. It’s not easy, and I am not a perfect parent, but I want to soak up the sweet moments — like when my four-year-old wants to bake with me, or my 22-month-old plants a kiss on my nose just because — and keep them in a jar forever.
But since that’s not actually possible, we just try to take as many moments as we can in the present to be present — to sit around the table and enjoy lemon bars together, for instance. And because these gluten free lemon bars are easy to make, we can make this particular memory happen over and over again.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE LEMON BARS
How do you make gluten free lemon bars (with a brown butter shortbread crust, AHEM), anyway? The first step is to make the brown butter. This process is incredibly simple — you just melt and cook butter on the stove until it turns brown. You’ll know it’s nearly there when the bubbles on the surface turn foamy and the golden color of the butter begins to deepen. Once the butter is browned, stick it in the fridge until it solidifies again, just to a firm softness, like a press into your shoulder.
The second step is to make the crust, which is a basic shortbread — just butter, sugar, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and a pinch of salt. Bake the crust and while it cools, move on to the third step — whisk up the lemon filling. Be sure to use fresh lemons for the lemon juice here — shortcuts will hinder the results, but if you have a good citrus juicer, the process is painless.
Once everything is fully baked, let the bars cool completely — perhaps the most painful part of all — then give them a generous dusting of powdered sugar. I prefer to cut into my bars first before dusting so every single square inch of the tops of the bars is left untouched, like new-fallen snow.
TIPS FOR THE BEST LEMON BARS
Here are a few extra tips for baking the best lemon bars of your life:
1. Don’t skip the foil. Lining the baking pan with enough foil to create handles on each side will help you to lift the bars out of the pan in one block and cutting them on a flat surface, rather than fighting to get them out individually.
2. Whisk the flour slowly into the lemon filling. The flour will want to clump up if you add it all at once to the filling, so pour it in gradually while whisking for a smooth mixture.
3. Store any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best results. They’ll keep for about three to four days (if they last that long).
Whatever stage of life you live right now, I hope these gluten free lemon bars can add some sweetness to your day.
P.S. Want more lemons in your life? Try my lemon poppy seed cake, Pink Lemonade Bars or Lemon Buttermilk Sugar Cookie Tart.
Gluten Free Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- Pinch salt
For the filling:
- 6 large or extra large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, from about 4-6 lemons
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- powdered sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with enough overhang on opposite ends to use as handles.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Once butter is melted, continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter gets creamy, then foamy and clear and finally begins to turn a golden brown color. Immediately remove from heat; pour into a small heatproof bowl. Refrigerate until butter just returns to its solid form but remains soft, about 1 hour.
- In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream solid butter and 1/2 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups flour and salt just until a dough forms. Using lightly floured hands or a spatula, gently press dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan. Be sure to press the dough about 1/2 inch up the sides of the dish. This will keep the filling from seeping out. Chill 15 minutes.
- Bake dough 17-23 minutes or until just set in center and lightly golden. Set on a cooling rack to cool slightly while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until beaten. Slowly beat in 3 cups sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until well combined. Slowly beat in 1 cup flour until mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.
- Pour filling on top of hot crust. Bake 30-35 minutes until filling is just set. Cool completely on a cooling rack, about 2 hours.
- Use foil as handles to carefully remove bars from baking pan. Use a very sharp, clean knife to cut into 24 squares. Dust generously with powdered sugar. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This was a major fail for me. I don’t see where I missed any of the steps or otherwise did not follow the recipe, so not sure what happened. The crust appeared just set and was golden when I took it out of the oven after the first bake and it had time to cool. The filling also appeared set and the top was golden after the second bake. But the filling leaked around/under the foil and cemented it to the baking dish. I tried to cut inside the edge of the baking dish and lift the bars out from the center, but not only was the filling very loose, the crust was mushy and wet. It was slop that went straight in the bin. If there’s something obvious I’ve missed, I’d love to know what that is.
Oh no, Stephanie. This hurts my heart. I don’t think you did anything wrong. The crust was soggy because the filling leaked down. I am the new owner, and haven’t made the recipe myself, but I am a professional pastry chef with a decade of experience in restaurant & bakery kitchens. It looks like this recipe is strongly based on Ina Garten’s recipe. The only differences other than the use of gluten free flour are that Ina says to build the crust up the sides of the pan by 1/2 inch before baking. That is to keep the filling from leaking down underneath. OTher than that the only things I see that it could be are that you skipped the lining of the pan with foil? I will update the recipe with Ina’s additional instruction. ~Lindsey
I made these for Father’s Day weekend because my husband LOVES lemon. They are incredible. I put them in the fridge to firm up a little faster because I inhaled the first gooey one after an hour on the counter when they weren’t quite set, haha. Delicious!!
These were so delicious!!! Thank you for a gluten free recipe. The photography is beautiful as well!
I don’t need to eat gluten free so can I substitute regular white flour or do adjustments need to be made?
Lori, Yes you can definitely use regular AP flour with great results!
the recipe step to pour the filling in the hot crust is a lie. I poured it in and it immediately sank to the bottom of the pan, ruining the cookie crust. thanks for a huge waste of time. 0 stars, try a different recipe
Sadie, So sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you!
Can we freeze the lemon bars?
Chelsea — Yes, you can! I’d suggest cutting them first, then placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer uncovered until frozen. Then I’d wrap them individually, and then place them all (wrapped) in a bag/container in the freezer.
my four year old loves to bake with. me too!!