Lemon Bars with Brown Butter Shortbread

These lemon bars are bright and tart with a smooth lemon filling baked on top of a brown butter brown sugar shortbread crust. 

The filling is classic — fresh lemon juice, zest, eggs, sugar, and flour — but the crust has a deeper, caramelized flavor from the browned butter and brown sugar.

They slice gorgeously, chill well, and are finished with the classic dusting of powdered sugar.

If you’ve been here a while, you probably know how much I love pairing sharp lemon with brown butter and brown sugar.

I’ve used this combo in my lemon ice cream and cinnamon rolls, and honestly, a brown butter lemon meringue pie may need to happen next.

Let’s Make It

We have two parts here:

1. Brown Butter Shortbread – I used this in my Pecan Pie Bars and have been DREAMING of more ways to use this crust. I’d eat it on its own. I know the cinnamon is a bit unconventional but it’s only a little and I promise it supports the lemon, doesn’t take over.
2. Lemon Filling – this is classic because lemon bars don’t need to be overcomplicated. It’s perfectly sweet and sharp and has a clean-slicing texture.

Brown Butter Shortbread

If you’re not familiar with brown butter, it’s easier than you think. If you absolutely want to skip it, you can, but make sure to use the reduced amount of butter listed in the recipe, not the starting amount, since you lose a little butter during browning.

1. Brown the butter – melt the butter in a pan, stirring intermittently until it begins to foam. Then stir continuously while it’s browning.
2. Pour into a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
3. Mix in the sugar and cinnamon, until they’re well combined. 
4. Add the flour and mix until there are no more streaks. 
5. Press into the pan and bake just halfway, until lightly golden. The crust should be partially baked before adding the filling so it has enough structure to hold the lemon layer without getting soggy.

Lemon Filling

1. Zest the lemon over the sugar in a bowl and rub them together. 
2. Add the flour and whisk until completely combined.
3. Add the eggs and whisk aggressively until the mixture is smooth and no longer gloopy. 
4. Whisk in the lemon juice.
5. Strain the mixture over the par-baked crust. 
6. Bake just until the edges are set and the center is only a tiny bit jiggly – they’ll finish baking and set as they cool. 
7. Cool for a little, then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
8. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. 

What Type Of Pan To Bake This In

I pretty much always opt for a metal pan but lemon can be finicky to bake with because the acid in lemons can react with metals. When that happens, it leaves a terrible metallic flavor in the lemon dessert. 

As you can see in the photos, I baked these in a USA Pan, which is aluminized steel with a nonstick coating, and I had no issues. I still lined the pan with parchment so the lemon filling wasn’t touching the metal.

However, I also tested them in an older metal pan — not sure what material — but there was no non-stick coating on it and they did turn metallic. If you’re hesitant, use glass or ceramic, or double-line your metal pan with parchment paper so the filling isn’t touching the metal.

Once the bars are chilled, lift them out of the pan and store them in a separate container (not aluminum). 

Serving & Storing

Lemon bars need to be refrigerated, especially to slice cleanly, but they can stay out for a couple of hours after slicing. 

For clean slices, use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts. I like slicing them cold straight from the fridge.

Powdered sugar melts into lemon bars as they sit, so I recommend dusting them right before serving. There is also this non-melting powdered sugar if you do need to dust them ahead of time. 

Thank you so much for being here. If you love this recipe, please leave me a 5-star rating or a review.

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B