Description
These sunshine-filled bars layer a soft sugar cookie base with a tangy lemonade filling and a buttery crumble topping. Sweet, tart, and perfect for picnics, parties, or whenever you need a bright, citrusy dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Sugar Cookie Base:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Lemonade Filling:
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the Crumble Topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Optional: ¼ cup additional granulated sugar for extra crunch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt for the cookie base.
- In a separate bowl, cream softened butter with both sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients to form a dough.
- Press dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly puffed.
- In the meantime, whisk lemon juice, sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and melted butter for the filling.
- Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust.
- In another bowl, combine flour and sugar for the crumble. Cut in cold butter until crumbly.
- Sprinkle crumble evenly over the lemon layer.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until center is just set and topping is lightly golden.
- Cool completely in pan, then chill at least 1 hour before slicing into bars.
Notes
- Use only fresh lemon juice for best flavor.
- Chill bars before slicing for cleaner edges.
- Wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Optional: dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Double the recipe for a 9×13 pan with adjusted bake time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 80mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: lemon crumble bars, lemonade bars, sugar cookie lemon dessert, summer dessert bar, citrus baking