Just Like Lady Bird Johnson's Lemon Squares
Lady Bird Johnson's Lemon Squares are a sweet and light dessert bar recipe that will nicely complement a tea party or other gathering. These tasty bars are great for a church bake sale or potluck, and are so easy to make. Tart and sweet at the same time, this recipe is very straight forward. If you love traditional lemon bars, this is the recipe for you. Both the lemon portion and the crust are made from scratch so not only will you get praise for your good taste in recipes, you'll get extra points for your baking skills.
Notes
Love lemon? Us too! Try our delicious Lemon Crinkle Cookies recipe that we made in our test kitchen.
Yields40 Lemon squares
Cooking Time15 min
Cooking MethodOven
Cooking Vessel Size9x18x1-inch jelly roll pan
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup cold butter
- 1 2 tablespoons cold water or milk
- Filling:
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 tablespoons flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 eggs, beaten
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 18 x 1 inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
-
Combine flour, sugar and butter in a bowl with a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor until the butter is the size of small peas. Add water or milk and mix just until the dough holds together. Press into the pan in an even layer. Bake 15 minutes, until just beginning to brown on the edges.
-
While crust bakes, make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour, baking powder and salt with a fork. Beat in the eggs, juice and zest until smooth.
-
Spread over the warm crust and bake 15-20 minutes; the edges will be light brown and the top should look slightly dry. Remove to a cooling rack and cool 5 minutes. Use a sieve to shake powdered sugar over the entire surface to avoid any lumps.
-
Let cool 1 hour before cutting into squares. Store in a covered container at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for longer storage.
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Rnbowgrl
Jun 30, 2018
I have no clue who Lady Bird Johnson is...but I thank her for bringing lemon bars to the world of recipes and I really appreciate that this recipe is not only made from scratch but is also super easy to make. I just had a thought and I'm now wondering if I were to use the juice and zest of a lime would I have the same results? I love everything about lemon but, if you did lime bars instead you can add some toasted coconut to compliment it!
duffer755 3050194
Jul 05, 2018
I'm a Canadian but have to answer you lol Lady Bird Johnson was the wife of the Lyndon Johnson who became president after John F. Kennedy when JFK was shot and killed.
Ruthep
Jan 04, 2017
Lemon bars are great! I do think these need to be put in a smaller pan. I would use a 9" inch square pan so they were thicker. I don't really think the powdered sugar on top is needed. It makes them pretty, but they taste good without it. And if you have bottled juice and no peel/zest that's fine. It still works well.
EditorLP
Oct 23, 2015
Perfect combination of tart and sweet! I love that you can actually taste the lemon. They would be even better if they were thicker.
nashmeow
Oct 23, 2015
I didn't even know I liked lemon bars until I tried these! The tartness of the lemon, the sweetness of the powdered sugar, and the buttery, flaky goodness of the crust are a delightful combination.
Zimm102090
Oct 22, 2015
These lemon bars were pretty good. A little too thin, but still really good!
jkblindt 3345314
Oct 22, 2015
I really like lemon desserts so this one was right up my alley. I would have preferred that the squares be a bit thicker but they still tasted good.
SaraR
Oct 22, 2015
I thought this was delicious, but I really love lemon flavored things. I also wish they were a little thicker, but it was still a win for my taste buds.
caitlinmm
Oct 22, 2015
These bars were soft and gooey with a buttery crust. So good! I liked the texture of these bars, but it did make them harder to eat by hand since they fell apart easily.
Princess Carolyn
Oct 22, 2015
I really liked the flavor of these squares - the lemon flavor was strong, and the crust was really buttery and yummy. They were extremely crumbly, though, which was kind of a down-side for me.
Kristina K
Oct 22, 2015
Light and flaky, but with all of the flavor you'd expect from lemon squares! Definitely an essential recipe for any kitchen.
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