Lemon Bars With Graham Cracker Crust

A special take on classic lemon squares, these lemon bars with graham cracker crust swap out the shortbread for a sweet crumb crust. A smooth and luxurious lemon curd is pre-cooked before being added to the crust, resulting in a perfectly tart and sweet lemon filling.

Why These Bars Are Different

Classically, lemon bars start with a base made of a pre-baked shortbread crust. The filling is mixed using eggs, fresh lemon juice, a little flour, and some sugar. This filling is poured over the warm baked crust and then is baked again to set the filling.

These bars do a couple of things differently. First, instead of a shortbread crust, I've used a buttery graham cracker crumb crust infused with lemon zest. Then, instead of a raw filling, I've topped my bars with a cooked lemon curd.

Why did I do this? For a couple of reasons. First, a common issue that bakers run into when baking lemon bars is when the filling seeps down into the crust, creating a mishmash of crust and lemon filling instead of two distinct layers. Using a thick, pre-cooked lemon curd fixes this problem.

Also, I find that the lemon curd keeps its creamy texture during the second bake better than a raw filling, which can easily become chewy and tough if baked even a touch too long.

I hope you'll give my lemon bars with graham cracker crust a try if you're used to making them the classical way. I think you'll really like them!

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are a few issues that home bakers may run into when creating lemon bars with graham cracker crust in their own kitchens. Use these tips to help you out when/if you run into the following problems:

Graham Cracker Crust Crumbles: This is a common problem with any graham cracker crust, whether you are using them in cheesecakes, tarts, pies, or dessert bars. First, make sure you are measuring your ingredients properly so that you don't end up with too much or too little butter or crumbs. Next, make sure that your graham crackers are crushed very fine so that the pieces are able to stick together more densely. Finally, make sure to pack the crust into your pan firmly. That tip is very important. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup or a spoon to really press down on the crust and get it packed in there nice and tight.

Lemon Filling Doesn't Set: This could be any combination of not cooking the curd long enough, not baking the bars long enough, or not allowing the bars to fully chill in the refrigerator before attempting to cut them. When cooking the curd, you want to pull it off of the heat as soon as it starts thickening and coats the back of a spoon. When baking the bars, make sure that the middle of the filling doesn't jiggle like Jell-O when you give the pan a little shake. When chilling the bars, allow several hours in the refrigerator so that the bars have had ample time to set up before slicing.

Filling Sinks Below Crust: Make sure that you are pouring the curd onto the hot crust - do not let it cool! When the graham cracker crust cools it will start to pull away from the edges of the pan, leaving gaps where the curd can creep down under the crust. Follow the recipe steps in order: make the curd first, then bake the crust, then pour the curd right onto the hot crust before returning it to the oven.

Required Ingredients

• Lemons: You will need between 2-4 lemons for this recipe. You'll zest two of them and then juice the remaining ones until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. You can use 100% bottled lemon juice (not from concentrate) instead, but since you need the zest anyway, I recommend just squeezing it fresh. I use a basic citrus juicer for this.
• Graham Cracker Crumbs: You'll need 2 cups of crumbs. While you can use the premade crumbs, I find that they are not crushed finely enough to get a good tight crust, so I recommend using a food processor to make your own.
• White Sugar: Just plain granulated sugar is best for this recipe. The sugar in the crust adds sweetness and helps bind it together when baked, and the sugar in the curd helps balance the tartness of the lemons.
• Eggs: Six full eggs and one yolk will yield a luxuriously creamy lemon curd for these bars. I used size large.
• Cornstarch: A couple of teaspoons of cornstarch will thicken up the curd when it cooks.
• Butter: Use a stick of unsalted butter, melted, to mix with the graham cracker crumbs in the crust.
• Powdered Sugar: This ingredient is optional and is used for dusting the finished bars right before servings. Don't dust them in advance, however, as the sugar will soak right into the filling.

Can You Freeze Lemon Bars With Graham Cracker Crust?

Yes, you can freeze this recipe! Here's how:

To Freeze: After the bars have been baked and chilled, cut them into squares and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped bars in a zip top freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months (for best quality - they will be safe to eat after that time if kept properly frozen).

To Thaw: Remove desired number of wrapped bars out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator until thawed.

How To Store Leftovers

You will need to store the finished lemon squares in the refrigerator to keep them safe. You can stretch some plastic wrap over the dish you baked them in or you can transfer the cut squares to a plastic storage container.

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