Lemon Crumble Bars

Name: Lemon Crumble Bars with Shortbread Crust
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 4 h 50 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 large lemons, to yield 3/4 cup juice; 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted; 5 large egg yolks; 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk; 2 1/2 tbsp heavy cream; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Crumble Bars combine a buttery shortbread base with a tangy-sweet lemon custard filling and a delicious crumble topping, delivering a bright, balanced dessert perfect for spring.

🌍American 🏷️Lemon bars 🏷️Lemon crumble bars 🏷️Dessert 🏷️Baking 🏷️Lemon

🏷️Sweet

-0:00

tinekeyoungeronTikTok

Total

4h 50m

Servings

12

Difficulty

Easy

Est. Cost

$20–$33

Recipe Source

View original recipe

From TikTok · by tinekeyounger

-0:00

tinekeyoungeronTikTok

Ingredients

3 large lemons, to yield 3/4 cup juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
5 large egg yolks
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

10 Ingredients

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Instructions

1
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Juice the lemons to get 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice and set aside.
2
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking soda.
3
Melt the butter and pour it over the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork or your hands until a crumbly dough forms.
4
Line a baking dish (an 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan works well) with parchment paper.
5
Press a little more than half of the crumble mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the crust. Reserve the remaining crumble for the topping.
6
Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
7
While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until smooth.
8
Slowly whisk the fresh lemon juice into the filling mixture until fully combined.
9
Once the crust is done, remove it from the oven and pour the lemon filling evenly over the hot crust.
10
Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the top of the lemon filling.
11
Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
12
Remove from the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature. For the filling to set properly, let the bars rest for at least 4 hours.
13
Once fully set, use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into squares and serve.

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Tips & Notes

Pro tips

Pre-bake the shortbread crust until set but still pale (10–12 minutes) to prevent a soggy or overly dark base.
Use room-temperature egg yolks to ensure they blend smoothly with the condensed milk and lemon juice without curdling.
Let the bars cool completely before cutting; they'll hold their shape better and the filling will set properly.
Zest your lemons before juicing to capture more citrus flavor if you want to intensify the taste.

Substitutions

All-purpose flour → almond flour or oat flour (will alter texture and may require slight baking time adjustment)
Unsalted butter → salted butter (reduce added salt to 1/8 tsp)
Heavy cream → whole milk or light cream (filling will be slightly less rich)