Lemon Heaven Bars

These Lemon Heaven Bars are dense and soft and chewy. Loaded with fresh lemon flavor and covered with a thin, sweet glaze, they are completely irresistible!

You know that my heart will always belong to chocolate when it comes to dessert. But when I need something comforting with a jolt of puckery freshness, I can’t resist a lemon bar. My favorite consists of a buttery shortbread crust topped by a bright layer of thickened lemon custard. When baked, the top of the bars take on a thin, crackly texture. And then they get a pretty sifting of powdered sugar. It’s one of the recipes people ask me for the most. Here’s the recipe.

But now, after many, many years, there’s a new lemon bar contender vying for my attention. These Lemon Heaven Bars are out of this world good, packed with an extra dose of fresh lemon flavor. I simply adore a lemon bar that makes me pucker!

* This post is sponsored by White Lily®.

I have taken a particular liking to the new White Lily Wheat & Almond Flour Blend. It has a lovely moist texture that lends itself perfectly to any baking project, with just a touch of nutty flavor. I reach for it whenever I’m baking brownies, cookies, or these awesome almond chocolate chunk blondies. Try this new flour blend in any of your own favorite recipes with a simple cup-for-cup substitution of all-purpose flour.

Over the past year, White Lily has introduced a new line of premium flour blends:

• All-Purpose Wheat
• All-Purpose Wheat and White Grape Seed Flour Blend
• All-Purpose Wheat and Red Grape Seed Flour Blend
• All-Purpose Wheat and Almond Flour Blend

The wheat for these premium blends is grown in the Pacific Northwest by family farms of Shepherd’s Grain®. You can even use a unique code found on each bag to trace the wheat back to the farmer who grew it. I was honored to spend some time with White Lily and Shepherd’s Grain in Spokane this past year, to walk in their fields of wheat. To read about my visit, click here.

The texture of these lemon heaven bars is very much like a really dense, moist cake, all soft and chewy and absolutely irresistible. A simple glaze is spread over them, a mixture of powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice and zest. The glaze adds another element of sweetness, plus another level of lemon tang.

I took a plate of these beauties into the office, asking for help in naming the recipe. Because I couldn’t name them “lemon bars”, as this new recipe needed to be distinguishable from the lemon bars recipe I was already known for.

As I was pondering this new name with my friend and co-worker Ann, Tim took his first bite. And he said, “lemon heaven”. And that, my friends, is how these came to be known as Lemon Heaven Bars.

Print Recipe

Lemon Heaven Bars

Yield: 24 bars

Prep Time:20 minutes

Cook Time:20 minutes

Calories per serving: 167

Ingredients:

for the lemon bars:

• 2 c. White Lily® Wheat & Almond Flour Blend
• 1-1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• fresh lemon zest from 2 large lemons
• 1 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

for the lemon glaze:

• 1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• fresh lemon zest from 1 large lemon

Directions:

for the lemon bars:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment paper so that two opposite sides have an overhang. This will allow you to lift the bars out once they are cooled, to make clean cuts. If ultra clean cuts are not a big thing for you, simply spray the pan lightly with a non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add lemon zest and whisk again to separate and coat all the little pieces of zest. Set bowl aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The lemon bars should spring back lightly when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

for the lemon glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together all glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of cooled lemon bars and then use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread glaze evenly over the bars. Place pan in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Run knife around the perimeter of the pan where there is no parchment paper and then lift the bars from the pan using the parchment paper overhangs. Cut into squares. I think these bars are best enjoyed when chilled, but feel free to serve them at room temperature also.

Inspired by many lemon bars recipes found on Pinterest…adapted from Rita May and Bakerella.

© a farmgirl's dabbles

Find out more about all of White Lily’s flours on their website, and look for their products on store shelves in your area or in the Smucker’s online Store!

This post is sponsored by White Lily. I am proud to be partnering with them this year, bringing you delicious new recipes using their new premium flour blends. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make this site possible.

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