These old-fashioned lemon squares are made homemade with a shortbread crust and with real lemon juice. Powdered sugar is added to the top after baking. Perfect for a light dessert.
In a small bowl mix together the butter and sugar.
Gradually add the flour to the bowl with the butter and sugar.
Overlap a piece of parchment paper into an 8x8-inch baking pan.
Press the crust mixture into the baking pan.
Bake at 350-degrees for 15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Take out of the oven and set aside.
Lemon Filling
In a small bowl mix together the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, flour, and baking powder.
Pour the lemon filling over the top of the crust.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Topping
After 12 minutes, take them out of the oven. The lemon filling will be slightly set but not completely firm and will be lightly browned on the top. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the top.
Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before serving so the lemon filling can thicken as it cools.
Notes
If you have leftover lemon bars, they can be put into the freezer so they will last longer and you can eat them at a later date.
This recipe cuts the lemon bars into 9 squares, but you can cut them smaller than that.
If you have the time, squeezing your own fresh lemons brings out the best lemon flavor in lemon bars. Using 100% lemon juice from the bottle is definitely more convenient and works great too.