Gluten Free Lemoniest Lemon Bars

These are the least-stable of gluten free lemon bars, the ones that essentially come out as the butteriest, meltiest, most addictingly wonderful lemon goop but boy are they worth it. So much so that a dear friend and former roommate of mine, who happens to like moving to a different country quite frequently, won’t let oceans or national borders stand between her and her citrus fix from these delectable squares. In fact, when I recently visited her in Vienna, Austria, I made sure to prep the dry ingredients in a ziplock and stow it away in my checked bag to make our roomie reunion even sweeter (and tarter). If you’re gunning for a dessert that will leave you satisfied after a small serving, steer well clear of these – you’ll be scooping out spoonfuls of the tangy mess into the wee hours, and surprisingly, your appetite for them only grows with each bite. They’re dangerous.

Having been warned, you may now proceed to my absolute favorite lemon bar recipe below. In previous, less colorful lives, I’ve eaten dull, lackluster, and altogether disappointing lemon bars that shy away from the star ingredient and only add just enough for a faint lemon flavor covered by heaps of powdered sugar and bottomed by way too much crust. These bars (more appropriately titled lemon goop with the technicality of a crust to add a buttery crumble) do entirely the opposite: they welcome lemon to the point of bursting, with not only double the usual volume of juice but heaps of zest to be sure you go comatose from aroma and tang even before you take the first bite.

I’ve tried to add a bit more stabilization so that these can be prettily stacked or plated like other, more straight-laced gluten free lemon bars often are, but honestly presentation here takes the back-most burner. Lemon bars to make you smile is the key here, and however you can get them out of the pan and into your mouth is fine by me. The recipe itself is inspired by the fantastic and underrated gluten free baking book Gluten Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly. It’s a family favorite of ours because, quite simply, it’s the closest to the Joy of Cooking (baking sections only) but gluten free. If you’re an experienced baker, you can use this book to get standard gluten free recipes for all sorts of cakes, cookies, pastries (gluten free cream puffs – it’s possible!), and, of course, lemon bars. I’ve modified the crust and fiddled with the filling to turn up the lemon about ten notches, but hats off to Reilly for giving us a bit more hope for gluten free baked goods. If you’re a fan of lemony stuff, give this gluten free lemon poppyseed shortbread a try, or if you’re just into tangy things, try the gluten free key lime pie tartlets! Do what tastes good!

Print Recipe

4.58 from 7 votes

Gluten Free Lemoniest Lemon Bars

Classic lemon bars with intense lemon

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: lemon, lemon bars, tangy

Servings: 15 bars

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 9×13 inch pan

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 3/4 Cup gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
• 3/4 Cup almond meal or flour
• 1/4 Cup white sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup salted butter chilled and cut into cubes

For the filling:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups white sugar
• 2/3 Cup fresh lemon juice
• 2-4 Tbsp Gluten Free flour mix
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• Powdered sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit and line a 9×13 inch pan with buttered parchment paper (you can use a pie pan or 8-9 inch pan for thicker bars). Make the crust by whisking together the flour, almond meal, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl, then use your hands to work the cubes of butter into the mixture until fully combined. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of the parchment-paper-lined pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (don’t over-bake!).
• While the crust is baking, mix together the filling. Whisk together the eggs and sugar, then add in the juice and zest. You can leave out the flour here or add up to 4 Tbsp to give it a bit more stability (less goopy) – up to your texture taste!
• Once the crust is done, let it cool for a few minutes, then pour the filling mixture over the crust and pop it back into the oven for another 20 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar (optional) or digging in! You can cut these into squares, or scoop them out into bowls (this way you can eat more at once).

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your lemon bars!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber