Lemon meringue bars are a delightful treat that combines a tangy lemon filling with a fluffy meringue topping. This classic dessert is perfect for any occasion, from potlucks to bake sales.
This recipe provides detailed instructions on how to make these delicious bars from scratch. It starts with a simple shortbread crust, which is then topped with a creamy lemon filling made with fresh lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and butter. Once the filling is set, the bars are topped with a fluffy meringue, which is made by whipping egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.
These lemon meringue bars are not only delicious, but also visually appealing. The bright yellow filling and the golden brown meringue topping make them a real showstopper. They are also relatively easy to make, and can be prepared in about an hour.
This recipe also includes a few variations on the classic lemon meringue bar. For a chocolatey twist, try adding a layer of chocolate ganache between the crust and the filling. For a boozy treat, add a splash of your favorite liqueur to the filling. And for a fruity twist, top the bars with fresh berries or citrus zest.
No matter how you choose to make them, these lemon meringue bars are sure to be a hit. Their tangy-sweet flavor and fluffy meringue topping make them a perfect dessert for any occasion.
**Recipes in the article:**
* Classic Lemon Meringue Bars
* Chocolate Ganache Lemon Meringue Bars
* Boozy Lemon Meringue Bars
* Fruity Lemon Meringue Bars
LEMON MERINGUE BARS RECIPE BY TASTY
Here's what you need: all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, salt, unsalted butter, large eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, all-purpose flour, egg white, salt, granulated sugar
Provided by Alix Traeger
Categories Desserts
Yield 9 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325˚F (170˚C). Grease and line a 9-inch (23 cm) square baking dish with parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.
- Make the crust: combine the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and butter in a medium bowl, and use your hands to mix until a crumbly dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, and use your hands to press it against the bottom and about 1 inch (2 cm) up the sides. Poke the bottom all over with a fork.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until light golden brown.
- While the crust is baking, make the lemon filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolk. Add the granulated sugar, lemon juice, zest, and a pinch of salt, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the flour until just combined.
- When the crust is done baking, remove it from the oven. Pour the lemon filling over the crust and carefully return it to the oven for 25 minutes, until the filling no longer jiggles and the center is mostly set.
- While the filling bakes, make the meringue: In a clean, dry medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Add about half of the sugar, whip for 30 seconds, then add the rest of the sugar and whip until combined. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large tip or zip-top bag with a corner snipped off.
- Pipe 9 evenly-spaced dollops of meringue on top of the lemon bars.
- Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the meringues are lightly browned.
- Let cool completely, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Slice into 9 bars. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 370 calories, Carbohydrate 44 grams, Fat 18 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 6 grams, Sugar 29 grams
LEMON MERINGUE BARS
Your lemon meringue pie just got squared -- into bars, that is. Skip rolling out pie dough with this easy-to-make press-in version, and spread on the meringue and toast it under your broiler.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories dessert
Time 2h
Yield 24 bars
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with foil leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Grease the foil and dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
- For the lemon bar crust: Pulse 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, butter, cornstarch and salt together in a food processor until a dough forms, about 1 minute. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden at the edges and pale golden in the center, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
- For the lemon bar filling: Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks with the remaining 1 2/3 cups sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice.
- Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes. Cool the bars, completely, on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the meringue: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk together the sugar, cream of tartar, salt and egg whites in a large bowl that sits comfortable in the saucepan without touching the water. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch (135 degrees F) and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until the whites hold soft peaks. Increase the speed to high and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff, but spreadable peaks. Spread and swirl the meringue on top of the cooled lemon bars.
- Preheat the broiler to high. Set the lemon bars under the broiler until the meringue is evenly toasted and golden brown, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, brown the meringue with a hand torch.) Cut into 24 squares and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.
LEMON MERINGUE BARS
It's as easy as pie to make bars from smooth, tangylemon filling and fluffy meringue atop a buttery zest-flecked crust.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes
Yield Makes 12
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350. Make crust: Put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted withthe paddle attachment. Mix on mediumspeed until well blended.
- Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make filling: Whisk together whole eggs, 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wirerack. Keep oven at 350.
- Make meringue topping: Put egg whites and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day.
LEMON MERINGUE BARS WITH POPPY SEED CRUST
These bars are equal parts puckery lemon curd punctuated with a generous amount of lemon zest, and crisp poppy-seed shortbread - twice baked to avoid a soggy bottom. The bars are finished with a billowy swoop of meringue, made with a bit of cornstarch to help keep it from weeping. Make sure to top the bars with meringue while they are still hot from the oven to help seal the two together.
Provided by Yossy Arefi
Categories cookies and bars, pies and tarts, dessert
Time 1h
Yield One 9-inch-by-13-inch pan
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- To make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, taking care to cover the corners as well. Lightly butter the foil.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, cornstarch, lemon zest and salt together. Add the butter and mix until well combined. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Just before the crust is finished baking, prepare the filling: Combine sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Rub zest into sugar with your fingertips until well combined and fragrant. Add flour and salt. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks, followed by the lemon juice.
- When the crust is finished baking, turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Pour the filling over the hot crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake until filling is set, but just slightly wiggly in the center, about 23 to 25 more minutes. While the bars are baking, prepare the meringue.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cornstarch. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is foamy. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and whip until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and salt and mix briefly to combine.
- When filling is set, remove pan from the oven and switch the oven to broil. Carefully spoon and spread the meringue over the hot bars, then set it under the broiler until the meringue is deep golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the heat of the broiler. Keep a close eye on the meringue during this process. It can go from perfectly golden to scorched in mere moments. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
MOCK LEMON MERINGUE BARS
Pillsbury Bake Off submitter Robin Peterson says, the difficulty of making and cutting through soft meringue in this classic bar has been eliminated. Test their variation and see for yourself!
Provided by Pat Duran
Categories Puddings
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- 1. Heat oven to 350^. Grease or spray a 13x9-inch baking pan. In pan , break up cookie dough with your fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form a crust- with a 1/2 inch edge all around. (I use a piece of plastic wrap or a baggie on my hand to do this.) Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is set. Cool 30 minutes. Spread lemon curd over completely cooled crust. In a large bowl beat cream cheese, marshmallow and yogurt with a wooden spoon until well blended. Fold in thawed whipped cream. Spread over the curd, swirling to resemble meringue. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until serving time. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store in refrigerator.
Tips:
- Use fresh lemons. Fresh lemon juice and zest provide the best flavor for lemon meringue bars.
- Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter can result in tough bars.
- Bake the bars until the filling is set. The filling should be slightly golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting them. This will help prevent them from falling apart.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Conclusion:
Lemon meringue bars are a classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion. They are easy to make and can be customized to your liking. With a few simple tips, you can make the best lemon meringue bars that everyone will love.
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