Meyer Lemon Bars
We happen to have a Meyer lemon tree in our front yard, so I often find myself using them in the kitchen. If you haven’t had a Meyer lemon before, they’re slightly sweeter and more fragrant than regular lemons, which makes them perfect for baking. That said, you can absolutely use standard lemons for this recipe — the result will just be a little more tart, which I’m not necessarily opposed to.
The most fiddly part of this recipe is getting the biscuit base evenly into the tin. It needs to be pressed in firmly, and that can take a bit of time. When you first pile the mixture into the tin it may look like there isn’t enough, but keep working it with your hands or the back of a spoon — it will cover the base, I promise.
As for the lemon topping, the key is to avoid getting too much air into the mixture. You want the filling to bake up dense and gooey, not foamy. That’s why the eggs are pre-beaten and the cornflour is made into a slurry before everything is stirred together. These steps help keep the texture smooth and rich.
Biscuit Base
125g plain flour
30g rice flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
60g caster sugar
90g unsalted butter
Lemon Filling
2 tbsp cornflour
150g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp salt
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons (about 1 tbsp)
150ml Meyer lemon juice
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper, leaving some overhang to help lift the bars out once they’ve set.
Make the biscuit base:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the plain flour, rice flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Bring the dough together gently with your hands — you’re not kneading it like bread, just combining it into a smooth dough.
Press the mixture evenly into the base of the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Make the lemon filling:
In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice to form a smooth slurry.
In a larger bowl, gently stir together the sugar, eggs, salt, lemon zest, and remaining lemon juice. Add the cornflour slurry and stir to combine. Try to avoid whipping or over-mixing, as you don’t want to introduce air into the mixture.
Once the base has finished baking, pour the lemon filling over it while it’s still hot.
Return the tin to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the filling is just set.
Let the bars sit at room temperature for an hour, then transfer the tin to the fridge for another hour before removing from the tin and cutting into 12 squares.
