Like many of you, I've been baking up a lemon bar recipe that's been in my family for longer than I can remember. Literally, this recipe has been around longer than me. While these bars have always been a favorite treat, I couldn't leave well enough alone. After a few trials in the kitchen, I've created this crunchy twist on the sweet, citrus classic - Meyer lemon Squares with a macadamia crust.
This recipe came from my mom's first cousin, also a Nancy. My namesake's original recipe is a delicious bite of sugared, lemon goodness. Could I make this even better? Only one way to find out....
The biggest challenge I faced tackling this goodie was achieving an elevated flavor profile while still ensuring the treats didn't lose their lemon square essence. These are a classic for a reason, I wanted to make sure you still knew you were eating. My riff on the original introduced a salty, toasty crunch with the macadamia nuts. I also punched up the lemon flavor by adding zest to the crust in addition to the filling. Mission accomplished. I believe the world is now a slightly better place.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Macadamia nuts - these should be raw and unsalted. If you have salted nuts on hand, omit the salt from the recipe. Also, I tested these with almonds. There were great, I just had a preference for the macadamias. You could play around with other nuts too. The macadamias won't be jealous.
- Meyer Lemons - well, they aren't mango bars 😉 That said, Meyer Lemons aren't always easy to find and can be expensive. Using regular ol' lemons will work out just fine. Tangerines are an option too.
- Powdered sugar - this adds sweetness and structure to the crust. I don't recommend substituting.
- Baking powder - brings a little lift to the filling. However, these are not designed to get much height.
- Cold, unsalted butter - cold butter helps give the crust its form and texture. Unsalted butter ensures these are scrumptious and a cup of seawater. If you have salted butter, omit additional salt from the recipe.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients.
Recipe Questions
Nope, but the toasty nuts (hee hee, I said toasty nuts) add a delightful depth of flavor.
You can certainly make the crust with all nut flour; however, the texture will change and be a bit more crumbly.
Prepare to have your mind blown... a Meyer lemon isn't actually a lemon! The fruit is a hybrid between a citron (you know, like the Vodka) and a mandarin hybrid. So, it's really a double hybrid. As far as flavor, the Meyer lemon is milder and sweeter than a lemon. And, as looks go, it is usually smaller and a darker yellow, almost orange color.
No one likes a soggy bottom. The crust can be soggy if not blind-baked before adding the filling. Or, too much liquid was used in the filling, which would require an adjustment to the cooking time.
Storage Tips
- Keep tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days
Necessary Equipment
- 8" square baking dish: Using a different size pan requires a change in cooking time.
- Parchment paper: this really helps to remove the bars easily without crumbling or breaking.
- Food processor: while you could get away chopping and mixing by hand, the food processor will save you a ton of time and energy. Plus, it comes in handy for many dishes, not just lemon bars.
- Cooling rack: this allows for greater air circulation and speeds up the cooling process so you can eat your squares sooner.
Meyer Lemon Sqaures
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
Description
Meyer Lemon Squares are sweet, toasty bite of sunshine. This twist on a classic lemon bar includes crunchy nuts and an extra citrus burst from the lemon zest.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- non-stick baking spray
- 60 grams raw, unsalted macadamia nuts
- 130 grams AP flour
- 30 grams (¼ cup) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 meyer lemons
- 113 grams (½ cup) cold, unsalted butter cut into approximately 12 cubes
For the filling:
- 110 grams macadamia nuts
- 2 eggs
- 190 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons AP flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- zest of 2 Meyer lemons
- ¼ cup meyer lemon juice
Final assembly:
- 30 grams (¼ cup) powdered sugar
- 60 grams macadamia nuts
Instructions
For the crust:
- Line an 8" square baking dish with parchment paper. Include an overhang of parchment paper on the sides to help easily remove bars after baking. Spray parchment with baking spray.
- In food process, pulse 60 grams (¼ cup) macadamia nuts until crumbly like very course sand, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Add 130 grams flour, 30 grams powdered sugar, salt, and zest of 1 lemon to food processor. Pulse until combined, about five 1-second pulses.
- Add butter cubes to flour mixture and pulse into butter is size of large peas, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Pour flour-butter mixture into prepared baking dish and press, as evenly as possibly, into pan.
- Refrigerate crust for 30 minutes.
- While in the fridge, preheat oven to 350°.
- After refrigeration, bake crust for 20 minutes in preheated oven.
For the filling:
- Spread remaining macadamia nuts (110 grams) on cookie sheet. Roast for 8 - 10 minutes until lightly browned in 350° oven. (you can add them in the oven with the baking crust). Set aside to cool.
- Roughly chop cooled macadamia nuts.
- In medium bowl, whisk eggs.
- To the eggs, add granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, baking powder, zest of 1 lemon, and lemon juice. Whisk thoroughly.
- Stir in chopped, toasted macadamia nuts.
- Pour macadamia lemon mixture over hot, pre-baked crust.
- Bake approximately 25 minutes until set (filling will still have very slight jiggle.
Final assembly
- Cool lemon squares completely on rack.
- While cooling, add remaining nuts and powdered sugar to food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely chopped.
- Once squares are cool, dust with remaining sugar/nut mixture.
- Use parchment sling to remove from pan and cut into bite-sized squares.
Notes
- Nutritional information provided below as a courtesy only and estimated by Nutrifox.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 30 minutes chill time
- Cook Time: 35 mintues
- Category: Indulge, Dessert
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 239
- Sugar: 16.2 g
- Sodium: 84.3 mg
- Fat: 14.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.3 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 38.4 mg
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Nancy says
Lemon bars are a classic; I was reluctant to change up the original but the sweetness of a meyer lemon and flavor from macadamias are a great combination.