Lemon Cookie Bars
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These lemon cookie bars are soft, buttery, and zesty. They’re made with just 7 basic ingredients, naturally flavored, and so easy to make!
I can’t explain it, but there is just something about cookie bars that feels so different from regular cookies. They also are so much easier because you just plop all the dough into a pan and bake!
My soft and chewy lemon cookies are one of my favorite recipes to make once the weather starts warming up because anything lemon-ey just puts me right in the mood for spring!
Why You’ll Love My Lemon Cookie Bar Recipe
- They can be made with either dairy free butter or regular butter – the recipe has been tested both ways!
- You only need 7 ingredients to make the cookie bars.
- They’re great to slice up and feed a crowd, and the recipe can easily be doubled for a 9×13 pan.
Ingredients Needed
- Lemon juice and lemon zest: I recommend using real lemon for the lemon juice (rather than from concentrate), since you already need a real lemon for the zest.
- Flour: this recipe should be made using all purpose flour, since it provides the softest texture for the cookie bars.
- Extra Ingredients: feel free to add 3/4 cup white chocolate chips if you’d like!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy!
Step 2: Mix in the egg and lemon juice!
Step 3: Stir in dry ingredients, then scoop the dough into a pan.
Step 4: Sprinkle with sugar then bake!
Expert Tips
- If you’re wondering why there is no baking soda or baking powder in this recipe – no it’s not a mistake! When testing the recipe I found baking soda/powder both negatively affected the texture of the bars or made them cakey rather than chewy.
- Always properly measure your flour – even a few tablespoons more flour can dry out the bars.
- Don’t worry too much about making sure the top of the dough is perfectly smooth before baking. It will be covered in sugar and look better once it’s baked!
- When zesting the lemon, be sure not to zest the white part – it will make the cookie bars very bitter!
Storage Instructions
Store the lemon cookie bars in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze!
More Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Lemon Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (158 g) butter, (regular or dairy free)
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, (plus 2 Tbsp more for topping)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2½ Tablespoons lemon zest, (around 2 medium lemons)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cup (218 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180℃) and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Leave parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan so you can easily remove the bars from the pan.
- In the bowl of a handheld mixer or standing mixer, combine butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy (around 1 minute).
- Add in the egg and lemon juice, then mix again.
- Next, add in the flour and salt and mix again until just combined.
- Transfer the cookie dough into your prepared pan and smooth it out evenly. It may look a bit lumpy on top, thats okay. Sprinkle the top with 2 Tbsp of white sugar
- Bake for 18-25 minutes. The edges will be a light golden brown and the middle will look soft. A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.
- Let cool completely in the pan before slicing. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
These sound scrumptious. Do you think they would hold up well to a lemon glaze or icing?
I haven’t tested them with that, but it sounds delicious! If you give it a try let us know how it worked for you!