Lemon Crumble Bars bring together tangy lemon curd and a buttery crust that doubles as a sweet crumble topping ~ these lemon bars might be the perfect lemon dessert!
Many readers find the Great Island kitchen by chance and then shortly after realize they want to make just about every recipe I post. That’s because we share the same ‘tastebud DNA‘. When you find a site that resonates with your unique food sensibility, that’s gold. Even within families taste in food varies wildly (my husband doesn’t like pumpkin ~ what’s up with that?) and it can be frustrating, at best. So if you’re one of those readers, you’re going to love today’s recipe. Lemon Crumble Bars? I can’t even. Just the thought makes my mouth water and my tastebuds dance!
lemon crumble bars ingredient notes
CREAMY LEMON CURD ~ this is a standard lemon curd with a touch of cream added for a luxurious mouthfeel. If you’re short on time you can certainly use a store-bought curd for the filling.
- lemon juice, sugar, butter, eggs, cream
- you can use honey instead of sugar, if you like.
- and yes, you could leave out the cream.
CRUMBLE CRUST ~ I stole today’s crust from my Rhubarb Crumble Tart but can you blame me? It’s perfect!!
- butter, flour, sugar, vanilla, rolled oats
- rolled oats add bulk and a nice texture to the crust, in fact lately I’ve been loving these extra thick style oats, they add great texture. You could also use nuts.
serving and storing creamy lemon crumble bars
SERVING: These bars can be served warm or at room temperature. They’re great both ways.
LEFTOVERS: I store the bars at room temperature, either covered with a glass cake dome, or a loose piece of foil. Tip: don’t cover tightly with plastic wrap or these moist bars can become soggy.
FREEZE: These lemon bars will freeze beautifully. Let them cool, then double wrap. I like to freeze individual servings in heavy duty zip lock bags.
So good. So good. So good!!
After 15 years of food writing I’m running out of fresh ways to tell you, but these creamy lemon crumble bars are so worth your time. They’re. So. Good.
I feel like at this point I’ve perfected the crumble bar, but each new recipe has its own distinct personality. If I were ranking my crumble bar recipes (which I never would!!) these would be high on the list. Right by them would be my:
- Raspberry Almond Bars
- Blackberry Pecan Bars
- Sour Cherry Almond Bars
- Strawberry Jam Bars
- Peach Pie Bars
See all my brownies and bars here
Variations and Dietary Options
Different types of pans: you can use a 9″ round pan (for pretty pie shaped slices,) a springform pan, or a tart pan with a removable bottom to bake these lemon crumble bars.
Add Poppy Seeds: add a few tablespoons of poppy seeds to the shortbread crust.
Filling options: you can use a jarred lemon curd, or any other jam or fruit preserves you love. For a gorgeous spring option try my:
You can also use fruit butter! Try Easy Apple Butter or Pumpkin Butter.
Gluten free: use a good quality 1:1 gf baking mix, like the ones from King Arthur Flour or Bob’s Red Mill. Make sure your oats are certified gluten free.
Make the crust lemonier: add the grated zest of 1 lemon to the shortbread dough for extra zesty creamy lemon crumble bars. Or better yet make my easy lemon sugar by processing the sugar with a lemon peel.
Creamy Lemon Crumble Bars
Equipment
- 9 inch square pan
- parchment paper optional
Ingredients
creamy lemon filling
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, from regular or Meyer lemons.
- 1 large egg
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 6 Tbsp butter, cut in pieces
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream , (you will add this after the curd has chilled.)
crust and crumble topping
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp rolled oats, for the crumble topping.
Instructions
make the creamy lemon filling (you can do this a day in advance)
- Put the lemon1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 large egg and 3 large egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and a pinch salt in a 2-3 quart heavy bottomed saucepan. Whisk to combine.
- Add the 6 Tbsp butter, cut in pieces and begin heating on medium to medium high, whisking almost constantly.
- As the butter melts, switch to a silicone spoonula and continue stirring, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan as the mixture begins to thicken. When it comes to a gentle bubble, stir for a few seconds more, then remove from the heat.
- Push the curd through a strainer, pressing down with the back of your silicone spoonula to get as much through as possible. You'll just be left with a few small lumps of cooked egg. Chill until cold.
- Once the curd is cold whisk in the 3 Tbsp heavy cream
for the crust and crumble
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper with long ends so you can lift it out for neater slicing. Note: this step is completely optional: you can serve the lemon bars right from the pan if you prefer.
- Cream the soft 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature and 2/3 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt. Note: it's important that your butter be at room temperature. I like to leave it out overnight when I know I'll be baking.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the 2 cups all purpose flour and mix just until there is no dry flour left. Don't over mix.
- Take 2/3 of the dough and pat it into the bottom of your tart pan. I like to scatter the dough in crumbles across the bottom, and then start to pat it down. It helps to flour your fingers, or use the bottom of a metal measuring cup to tamp it down. Take the time to get the dough evenly distributed. Note: you're not looking to go up the sides of the pan with the dough, just to make an even flat layer.
- For the crumble topping ~ mix the remaining dough with the 3 Tbsp rolled oats, breaking it apart with your fingers to make coarse crumbles.
- Spread a layer of creamy lemon filling over the top of the bottom crust. You'll use about a cup. (Note: you will have a little extra creamy lemon curd leftover to use on toast or scones.)
- Top evenly with the crumbled dough. It's fine if some of the lemon shows through.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until the top is just starting to turn pale golden.
- Let the pan cool on a rack. If you've used parchment paper, let the pan cool for about 20 minutes, then you can gently lift the bars out of the pan for slicing.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. The bars will keep on the counter for 2-3 days, and can be frozen for longer storage.
I love these lemon bars! I omitted the oats for the topping. The recipe calls for 1 cup of lemon curd, but I used the whole amount, and it came out delicious! These didn’t last long in my house. Will be making these again soon!
I agree, more is more when it comes to lemon curd 🙂
What could I substitute for the oatmeal for the topping? Oatmeal doesn’t agree with me.
You can leave it out, and maybe add a bit more flour. You can also use chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts (toast them first, I just pop them in my microwave for 2 minutes.)
This recipe says pucker up buttercup it is so filling and yu uuuuumy
Agreed! Thanks for the review Thomas!
Superb! An easy recipe that turns out delicious. I like it better than the traditional lemon bars. Served it with strawberries sprinkled over top. The lemon curd is excellent! It will be my go to recipe for lemon bars from now on. Thanks Sue for providing us with such outstanding recipes!
Thanks so much Kathy ~ I agree with you, these are better than regular lemon bars!!
These look delicious! If using pre-made lemon curd, how much would I need?
About a cup.
Salt is listed in the directions for the lemon filling but not in ingredients. How much salt ?
Just a pinch, I’ll fix that.
Where is honey in the recipe
You can use honey instead of the sugar in the lemon filling recipe, if you like. But the recipe calls for sugar .