A twist on the classic lemon bar with an olive oil crust. When you think of a classic lemon bar, you probably think of a buttery shortbread crust. I mean, it’s part of what we love about lemon bars. Combine tart lemon with a sweet buttery crust, and well…magic! But when I came across this recipe from Food52 that replaces butter with olive oil, I had to try it.
I wanted to have something sweet to serve out on the porch with the kids to accompany a meat and cheese board this weekend. And I just knew these lemon bars with an olive oil crust would be the perfect addition!
The Ingredients to Make Lemon Bars with an Olive Oil Shortbread Crust
- Lemons for lemon juice and lemon zest
- All purpose flour
- Large eggs (whites and yolks)
- Sugar
- Fine sea salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Powdered sugar
Any Special Equipment Needed to Make these 6-ingredient Lemon Bars
- A 9-by-9-inch baking pan
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Parchment paper
- A fine mesh strainer to dust powdered sugar on bars before serving
Finish with a sprinkling or dusting of powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar
A Twist on the Classic Lemon Bar with an Olive Oil Crust
This is almost your classic lemon bar with a sweet lemon curd filling, but the shortbread base uses olive oil instead of butter. It’s nutty, fruity, and salty, making it perfect for dessert or on a cheeseboard. The flavor is familiar, but maybe even better! The sweetness of the lemon curd is balanced by the olive oil.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 105 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup olive oil
For the Lemon Curd Filling:
- 6 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 7 tablespoons flour
- 3 lemons, zested (1 tablespoon)
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325º
- Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. I cut two pieces the same width as the pan, leaving enough parchment paper to hang over the ends. The parchment paper will serve as handles when removing the lemon bars from the pan. Then I use binder clips to secure each side.
- Make the crust: combine the flour, sugar, and salt and stir to combine. Pour in the olive oil and mix with a spoon until a crumbly dough forms and is no longer dry. Do not over-mix!
- Dump the dough mixture into the prepared pan and spread out evenly on the bottom with your finger. It’s quite stiff, so I went back and smoothed it out with a spatula. Then prick the dough evenly on the bottom.
- Bake 45-60 minutes. (depending on your pan size). The crust should be golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the lemon curd filling.
- Combine the eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice, zest, and salt and whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the combined mixture onto the hot shortbread crust, return to the oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Cool at room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator completely. Remove from the pan using the parchment paper sides as handles, and cut into squares.
Notes
Using binder clips to secure the parchment paper is a tip I learned from Sheri Silver.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like these:
Other Favorites Finds this week are all from a conversation with my friend, Diane Karmen.
I wrote about my friend Diane’s kitchen here and her guest room here. You can see more on her website, Diane Karmen Interiors.
Simply the best kitchen towels for about $1 each
My friend Diane was telling me about these kitchen towels. She sent me the article where she read about them in Bon Appétit, and I knew I had to try them. The article described them as “Simply the best, better than all the rest.” Sold! And they are about $1 each. They are great for dinner napkins too!
Silicone lids that made me finally quit saran wrap
Diane also told me about using these silicone lids rather than plastic wrap. I must admit I tried using those beeswax covers for a while, but then they stopped sealing tightly to the bowl, and I returned to plastic wrap. These silicone covers or lids are exactly what I’ve been looking for!
Wright’ Silver and Copper Cream
When we returned home from France last year with a suitcase of copper pots for the shop, I tried all sorts of methods to clean it. But then I started using Wright’s Copper and Silver Cream to clean my copper pots and vintage silver. It’s what my mother and grandmother used. And there’s nothing quite like it. It’s inexpensive, a jar will last for years, and it polishes up everything beautifully and easily. Wright’s has been around since 1873. You can read more about flea markets in France in this post.
Weekend Sales
GAP is 40% off through August 15th.
J.Crew 30% off almost all fall styles
Serena & Lily Warehouse Sale up to 70% off
Let’s stop by and see what Cindy & Mary Ann found interesting this week
In case you missed it, we all shared ideas on outdoor entertaining on Thur. You can read Mary Ann’s post here, Cindy’s here, and mine right here!
Just pinned your lemon bar recipe! Sounds fantastic!
Cindy! Those lemon bars … yum. I want to drop everything and make them … and them eat them. Sensible eating can return tomorrow, right?! Love those towels and I need to try silicone lids. I go through way too much plastic wrap. Happy weekend! xo
Annie, these bars look delicious!
Can’t wait to make these lemon bars but I assume you have to remove the clips before you bake? Wouldn’t the plastic melt?