Not to long ago I got the chance to use key limes for the first time and I used them to make a key lime pie . This weekend I stumbled across meyer lemons for the first time and I grabbed some right away. I had been hearing about meyer lemons for a long time and I had been wanting to try them. A meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange which sounded like a great combination. I really like using lemons in desserts and one of my favorites is the simple lemon bar. A lemon bar is a bar with a shortbread crust and a layer of lemon custard topped with icing sugar. I was thinking that meyer lemon bars be would be the perfect place to start enjoying my meyer lemons. I used a pretty standard recipe for the lemon bars that I found of Joy of Baking and I just substituted the lemon juice and zest for meyer lemon juice and zest. They meyer lemon bars were nice and simple to make though I did run into one small snag; I had some trouble getting the bars out of the baking pan. No worries though, the crumbled lemon bars were still great! I really enjoyed the meyer lemon bars and the meyer lemon flavour was a nice change from ordinary lemons. I am still surprised that something so naturally tart as a lemon can become so magically good in sweet dessert like this. The next time I make these lemon bars I think I might double the recipe for the lemon filling to get even more lemony goodness in each bite. For now, I still have a few meyer lemon left to enjoy.
Meyer Lemon Bars
ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- confectioners sugar
directions
- Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.
- Mix in the flour and salt until it comes together.
- Press it down into a greased 8 inch square baking pan.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Beat the eggs and sugar until smooth.
- Mix in the lemon juice and zest.
- Mix in the flour.
- Pour the mixture onto the crust.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until set, about 20 minutes.
- Let cool and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
MaryBeth says
March 17, 2009 at 12:17 amLemon Bars is one of my most favorite things to make in the summer, they are so easy, flaky, light and have such a bright and refreshing lemon taste. I have never used the Meyer lemon, does it have a different taste?
PLO says
March 17, 2009 at 12:30 ami have never met a lemon bar I didn’t like, and yours looks like no exception!
Mrs Ergül says
March 17, 2009 at 12:52 amHmmmm I like the even dusting of icing sugar on the bars! Somehow it feels like Christmas!
nooschi says
March 17, 2009 at 12:57 amWow. That looks good. I never knew what Meyer lemons were until recently. I’ve never seen Meyer lemons in Ottawa (at least where I’ve been) but I’ll be sure to try this recipe if I find some.
VeggieGirl says
March 17, 2009 at 1:13 amPerfect treat for spring!! 🙂
Anonymous says
March 17, 2009 at 1:22 amThis was a childhood favorite of mine…and meyers were in our backyard! YUM
Anonymous says
March 17, 2009 at 1:30 amWhere did you find the meyer lemons?
Not Another Omnivore says
March 17, 2009 at 1:31 amI’ve seen a lot of lemon floating around recently and these look fabo!
NAOmni
Daziano says
March 17, 2009 at 1:48 amI LUUUUUUV Meyer Lemon!!!
Steph says
March 17, 2009 at 2:19 amNow I need to make lemon bars! I’ve been holding back because I can’t decide which recipe to use.
Kerstin says
March 17, 2009 at 2:23 amThey look so light and tasty – I can’t wait for spring!
redmenace says
March 17, 2009 at 2:28 amThere is NOTHING like a Meyer lemon. Yum! Thanks!
Heather says
March 17, 2009 at 2:32 ammmmm. i love lemon bars! these look yummy 🙂
tamilyn says
March 17, 2009 at 2:42 amMust be lemon bar day-I have some over on my place too!
Nice sugary top. Powdered sugar makes everything better 🙂
Donna-FFW says
March 17, 2009 at 2:58 amI have been readingabout them also. There are not any to be found here!! I so adorre lemon bars and would love to taste with these famous Meyers.
Hayley says
March 17, 2009 at 2:59 amI love your picture, I have yet to try lemon bars.
timboxyz says
March 17, 2009 at 3:09 amI made a salad dressing last night from the juice of three meyer lemons, about 3 times the amount of juice in extra virgin olive oil, some basil and salt and pepper.
My friends liked it, so it seems to have been a good choice. 🙂
verygoodyear: If you live in the west end of Toronto, there’s a store on Roncesvalles that tends to have them in stock often – I think it’s “KO” or something – they have organic produce there.
Jess says
March 17, 2009 at 3:39 amYour lemon bar looks delicious. I also baked up a batch of lemon bars a few days ago. With a whopping 1 c. of lemon juice and a couple of heaping tablespoons of lemon zest, they were the pucker-iest lemon bars I had ever tasted!I bet with the Meyer lemons you get a sweeter, mellower zing, right?
Anonymous says
March 17, 2009 at 3:51 amLemon taste is my fav..looks simple and yummy..
Mary says
March 17, 2009 at 3:57 amIf I were to be stranded on an island but also given the chance to bring seasonings, I stretch the definition of seasoning and bring a lemon.
StickyGooeyCreamyChewy says
March 17, 2009 at 4:01 amI’ve adored lemon bars ever since my aunt started making them when I was a kid. I never get tired of them! I’ll bet the Meyer lemons make them even more delicious!
Cakebrain says
March 17, 2009 at 5:13 amI’m a sucker for lemon bars. I have never used Meyer lemons before…haven’t really seen them around the market either. Your bars look yummy!
Elra says
March 17, 2009 at 5:34 amPerfect season for lemon bar Kevin. That really look delicious.
Cheers,
elra
PD says
March 17, 2009 at 5:55 amI line my baking pan with parchment paper so I can lift up the entire “lemon bar” out to the cutting board for cutting.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
March 17, 2009 at 6:07 amThis is one of my favorite bars/desserts! A pity I can’t find Meyer lemons here…
Cheers,
Rosa
MeetaK says
March 17, 2009 at 6:53 amlove seeing all these citrus recipes at the moment! i made lime bars a while back and they were great. unfortunately i do not find meyer lemons so often here – but have to try this with my organic lemons!
Culinarywannabe says
March 17, 2009 at 9:48 amYummy! I had never heard of meyer lemons until I started on the food blogging scene, but they are so good in things like this. I have a friend who always pops her pan into the freezer for a few minutes before cutting her lemon bars, and swears it helps her get a cleaner cut. Not sure if it works, but she insists it does.
Fanny Wijaya says
March 17, 2009 at 10:39 amLooks gorgeous. I’ve made lemon bar before and i also have hard time cutting it to nice shape without breaking it.
Jennifer says
March 17, 2009 at 11:22 amMust get my hands on some of htese lemons–every one has a post on them and I have everytinhg I need to make great reicpes…except the lemons.
Anonymous says
March 17, 2009 at 12:17 pmOoh lovely .. I must get my hands on some meyer lemons before the season is over!
Kevin says
March 17, 2009 at 12:28 pmverygoodyear: I found the meyer lemons at a grocer in the St. Lawrence market.
Parker says
March 17, 2009 at 12:49 pmHappy that spring is coming, as to me it means delicious lemon desserts like this one.
Netts Nook says
March 17, 2009 at 1:39 pmKevin my mouth is watering I love anything lemon. They look great as usual.
Ciao Chow Linda says
March 17, 2009 at 1:51 pmYour beautiful photo makes me want to rush out and buy meyer lemons.
lisaiscooking says
March 17, 2009 at 2:20 pmLooks delicious! I love experimenting with a lemon bar recipe and trying different juices. Meyer lemons are great!
Happy cook says
March 17, 2009 at 2:40 pmMy toungs istinkling just seeing the pic, beautiful and delicious.
♥Rosie♥ says
March 17, 2009 at 2:48 pmKevin you have just hit my weak spot of all bakes!! Lemon bars rank 1st in my top bakes!! I wish I could find Meyer Lemons too,and I have never tried them before.
Brilliant bake – bookmarked for sure!
Pam says
March 17, 2009 at 3:03 pmI’ve always wanted to try Meyer lemons.
elly says
March 17, 2009 at 3:03 pmThese look so good. I love meyer lemon. I used to not really like lemon sweets all that much, but I love them now.
Pam says
March 17, 2009 at 3:32 pmMmmm. I love meyer lemons and I really love lemon bars so you can imagine how much I would dig these bars – they look great Kevin.
nitascot says
March 17, 2009 at 3:44 pmThose look tasty. I’ll have to try them
Maria says
March 17, 2009 at 3:45 pmLemon treats are up there on my yum list! Yours look fantastic!
Sophie says
March 17, 2009 at 3:55 pmDear Kevin, I just gave you an award!! Please pick it up at http://www.sophiesfoodiefiles.blogspot.com!!! Why? Read why in my latest post: my second award!!! Bravo!!
Paula says
March 17, 2009 at 4:22 pmUm, please pass an entire tray of these my way! Perfect treat for Springtime! YUM!
Not Another Omnivore says
March 17, 2009 at 4:39 pmSo on a bought of boredom, I went and looked at what you made when you first started. A lot of them still look good, but I was blown away by how much you photography/equipment has improved. That makes me feel a lot better about my own because I hope to improve…
NAOmni
Debbie says
March 17, 2009 at 4:58 pmI love lemon bars but have never used meyer lemons in anything. I have heard so much about them and will have to checka the grocery store for them. Your look delish!!!
Soma says
March 17, 2009 at 5:34 pmwith the weather warming up here, i think this is one of the things to have .. refreshing.
Kelly says
March 17, 2009 at 5:55 pmYum! I love lemon bars. Really , I love citrus in general, but after lime Meyer Lemon is what I crave.
Karen says
March 17, 2009 at 6:22 pmI used to make these and take them to work. The men inhaled them! They’re delicious 🙂
Theresa says
March 17, 2009 at 6:44 pmI make these at Christmas time. One of my favorite cookies.
Mari at Once Upon a Plate says
March 17, 2009 at 7:37 pmDazzling Kevin ~ they look divine!
(I’m so happy you were able to get Meyer Lemons.)
Great photo, too ~~ wish I could reach through the monitor… 🙂
Anonymous says
March 17, 2009 at 8:28 pmLemon bars are really great, but there is the occasionally too tart bar. Meyers sound like that perfect blend of sweet and sour. We gotta get some!
Mike of Mike's Table says
March 17, 2009 at 9:00 pmThis is one of those desserts I’ve been meaning to try for the longest time, but never have. They sound great and I love the color!
Sandie says
March 17, 2009 at 9:24 pmI love lemons, and Meyer lemons are the best. They rock the citrus world. These bars look delicious!
meeso says
March 17, 2009 at 10:11 pmThis is one of my favorite summer desserts!
Kimberlita says
March 17, 2009 at 10:41 pmI love lemon desserts. Lemon merengue pie is one of my favourites. How many meyer lemons were necessary to make 1/3 cup juice?
Dani Spies says
March 17, 2009 at 10:44 pmOMG! I love lemon bars!! I think I may have to crack and make a batch of these… they look so good!
Barry says
March 17, 2009 at 10:57 pmI really don’t care for Meyer lemons even though I have a tree that produces boatloads of them.
That said, this recipe is making me think I’ll give them one more go. Looks terrific.
Kevin says
March 17, 2009 at 11:04 pmKimberlita: It took about 4 meyer lemons for me. The meyer lemons that I got were smaller than normal lemons.
Judy says
March 18, 2009 at 12:23 amWhen I can’t get Meyer lemons but want to bake a lemon dessert, I mix some orange with the lemons.
Anonymous says
March 18, 2009 at 1:38 amThis looks perfect for summer!
My Sweet & Saucy says
March 18, 2009 at 6:19 amThey look delicious Kevin!
noobcook says
March 18, 2009 at 9:16 amI wish I have access to meyer lemons in Singapore, they look so fresh and tasty 😛
Erika says
March 18, 2009 at 2:21 pmI love lemon bars and yours look great. I actually had a dwarf meyer lemon tree and sadly, some pests got to it and I had to throw it away. 🙁
Jeanine says
March 18, 2009 at 3:01 pmThat looks sooo good! I saw that lemons were on sale this week, I may need to get a few. 😉
Diana says
March 18, 2009 at 10:43 pmThose look soooo good. Normally I shun any kind of bar or baked good that doesn’t contain chocolate, but your pictures make me think I may need to reconsider the lemon bar…
Bridgett says
March 18, 2009 at 11:21 pmNow this is a fantastic dessert! I love the flavor of a Meyer lemon.
Eliza28 says
March 19, 2009 at 1:20 pmMy Grams loves lemon bars, they are about the only thing she can make anymore for family dinners. Thanks for the post and the recipe sounds great!
Jeanne says
March 19, 2009 at 5:12 pmOh Kevin, those just look astonoshingly good! We don’t often get Meyer lemons here in the UK, but the one taste of Mayer lemon curd that I’ve had has hooked me…
TaGa_Luto says
March 21, 2009 at 4:31 pmWhat a coincidence, like you, i stumble upon meyer lemons and it was on sale $1 for a bag of 8. I was thinking of making a dessert out of it and this looks good. I do have a recipe for lemon bars but i’ll give yours a try. Thanks!
Jan says
March 22, 2009 at 12:37 amI have never had Meyer lemons either, but the lemon/orange mix sounds nice. I love all things lemony so I’d certainly take a piece of this cake, if you would be so kind as to pass me a plate.
TaGa_Luto says
March 25, 2009 at 4:20 amHi, Kevin! Just wanted you to know that i made the meyer lemon bars. It was a hit both in my family and at work. I did made some adjustments w/ the sugar coz i found it sweet on my first batch so i cut down a little bit on the sugar on my second batch and i added some candied lemon slices for garnish. Pls check my blog http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/2009/03/meyer-lemon-bars-with-candied-meyer.html.
Thanks for the recipe!
Anonymous says
March 30, 2009 at 4:15 amJust used your recipe. A co-worker gave me a bunch of meyer lemons from his tree, and this was just the right thing to do with them. The bars came out great. I put a little vanilla and zest in the shortbread. Yum. Next time I am thinking of trying some lavender.
Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Sarah says
April 5, 2009 at 2:22 amNormally I’m a cook and not a baker and if I do bake, it’s usually something chocolate-y, but I too discovered Meyer lemons at the grocery store and knew I had to try them in your recipe.
I’ve never made lemon bars before, and somehow the crust ended up floating on top of the Meyer lemon curd so they resembled upside-down lemon bars.
Is this because I didn’t let the crust cool long enough before pouring the curd in, so that the curd just seeped underneath the crust? Do you cool your crust first before baking again?
Anonymous says
April 10, 2009 at 9:42 pmhad to laugh, i didn’t realize TaGa_LuTo was a follower also, we’re good friends on myspace!
These look excellent!
alphahydri says
July 1, 2009 at 7:42 pmI tried this recipe. So easy, with so few ingredients! Turned out great! Thanks!
Kate says
January 23, 2010 at 1:44 amI just made this recipe the other day & they are really good. Thank you for posting these.
AliG says
December 24, 2010 at 8:04 pmI found Meyer lemons at Trader Joe's and made these yesterday. First time baking anything and… turned out really awesome. I lined my pan with parchment paper and it was easy to take it out of the pan. One comment: next time I need to double up on the recipe. Yummy yummy!
Priceless says
July 9, 2012 at 1:47 amI love lemons and anything made with lemons. If I'm lucky enough and my timing is right, I've found some Mayer Lemons at Costco and make my lemon bars, lemon pound cakes and lemon curds and anything else lemon with them. I personally prefer Mayer Lemons over regular lemons, I find they taste more lemony( if that's a word). I can't wait to make this recipe.
Kathleen Richardson says
March 28, 2013 at 12:59 amSounds yummy, Kevin. I wonder if lining the pan with parchment paper might be helpful in removing the bars.
Rachel Page says
January 19, 2015 at 2:22 amJust made these….soooo yummy!