Passover Lemon Bars

Name: Passover Lemon Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 16 bars
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 7 tablespoons unsalted melted butter; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 vanilla bean scraped, or 2 teaspoons extract; ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt; ½ cup finely ground almonds; ½ cup matzo cake meal; Zest from 1 lemon (preferably from an organic lemon); 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar; 3 tablespoons potato starch; 3 large eggs; Finely grated zest from 2 lemons, (preferably from organic lemons); ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 - 3 medium lemons); Pinch of kosher or sea salt; 1 vanilla bean scraped, or 2 teaspoons extract; 2 - 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Author:
Chef Laura Frankel
Publish date:
Apr 23, 2017

Why are these lemon bars different from all others? We got double the lemon flavor! I love the fragrance and ZING of lemon zest so much, I even put it in the crust. Everyone will enjoy these bars. Perfect for dessert or as a snack, even as a breakfast! (Come on, it’s Passover!)

When lining the pan, be sure to cut enough foil or parchment to have it overhang the pan. That way, you can pull the whole batch out of the pan, and when cooled, slice and serve the bars easily. I’ve thought of everything here! Enjoy!

Note: This recipe has been updated in 2017 taking into account some of the comments and having been retested, it is now better than ever. Take your Passover dessert-making to new heights with lemon bars. These tasty treats add zing to dessert and snack time.

70minDuration
60minCook Time
10minPrep Time
16 barsServings

Ingredients

Crust:

7 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean scraped, or 2 teaspoons extract
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ cup finely ground almonds
½ cup matzo cake meal
Zest from 1 lemon (preferably from an organic lemon)

Filling:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons potato starch
3 large eggs
Finely grated zest from 2 lemons, (preferably from organic lemons)
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 - 3 medium lemons)
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
1 vanilla bean scraped, or 2 teaspoons extract
2 - 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Preparation

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8- x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or foil. Grease the parchment or foil.
Heat butter until hot. Add sugar, vanilla, salt, almonds, cake meal, and lemon zest. Stir just to combine. Transfer crust to lined pan and press into the pan.
Bake at 350°F until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

For the filling:

Decrease oven to 300°F.
Whisk together sugar, starch, eggs, zest, juice, salt, and vanilla until well combined.
Gently pour filling into baked crust. Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes until the center is no longer jiggly.
Cool completely before garnishing with powdered sugar.