Who has been around long enough to remember that I used to HATE citrus desserts? Up until this last year, you couldn’t pay me to eat a lemon dessert. It wasn’t that I didn’t like lemons, there was just something about lemon in desserts that sounded so unappetizing to me. Fast forward to 2021 when somehow my taste buds miraculously changed and I actually started loving and craving lemon desserts. I guess it’s true what they say, you’re taste buds are always maturing.
With a new found love for citrus desserts, I found myself wanting to create new recipes using citrus in my own kitchen. I was craving something tart but also something baked so I created these delicious Lemon Crumb Bars. They start with a homemade oatmeal cookie/blondie base and are filled with a tart and creamy lemon filling made from sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg yolks and then topped with a fresh lemon glaze. These bars are pure SUNSHINE, they are the perfect mix of sweet and tart.
Tips & Tricks:
- Make sure and thoroughly mix the oatmeal cookie base so that no flour streaks remain.
- My favorite hack with this recipe is substituting the lemon juice for passion fruit juice in both the filling and the glaze. My favorite brand of passion fruit juice to use is from Tastes of Aloha. Make sure and use code SHAEMAKES for free shipping. Using passion fruit in these bars turns them from Lemon Bars to Passion Fruit Crumb Bars.
- These bars cut best when really cold. I prefer to freeze them for a couple hours and then cut them and store them in the refrigerator. If you only store them in the fridge, the filling may ooze out just slightly, but don’t worry, that won’t affect the flavor.
Lemon Crumb Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 18–22 1x
Description
A homemade oatmeal cookie bar filled with a tart and creamy lemon filling and drizzled with a sweet lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the oatmeal cookie bars:
- 1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 3/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 9 tbsp butter, melted
For the lemon filling:
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest from 1 1/2 lemons
- 3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 (21 oz total) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 3 egg yolks
For the lemon glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the oatmeal cookie bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, oats, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Stir in sugar and brown sugar until mixed throughout.
- Pour the melted butter in and stir until a dough forms.
- Spray a 9×13 or 10×15 pan liberally with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper so the parchment paper is overlapping on all sides. Spray again.
- Press 1/2 of the dough into the sprayed pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the bottom layer is baking, make the lemon filling.
For the lemon filling:
- Whisk together all the filling ingredients until smooth.
- Once the bottom layer of cookie has baked, remove from the oven and pour the lemon filling evenly over top of the crust.
- Crumble the remaining 1/2 of the oatmeal cookie mixture on top of the lemon filling.
- Return to the oven and bake for 22-27 minutes until the top is just slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile make the lemon glaze.
For the lemon glaze:
- Whisk together powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice until smooth.
- Once the cookie bars have cooled completely, drizzle the lemon glaze all over the top and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until fully cooled and set.
- Cut and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Keywords: lemon, lemon bars, lemon crumb bars, lemon dessert, citrus dessert, lemon cookies, oatmeal cookie, cookie bars, lemon drizzle, homemade dessert, from scratch
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