Creamy Lemon Bars with Graham Crust

Sliced creamy lemon bars topped with dollop of whipped cream and lemon slice.

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Creamy Lemon Bars with Graham Crust

These luscious creamy lemon bars with graham cracker crust are the dreamiest dessert for lemon lovers. A key lime pie like textured bar that takes less than 30 minutes to prep, with a rich tart and creamy lemon layer over top of a graham cracker crust with a hint of ginger that adds an extra layer of flavor--these lemon bars will be a hit for every party, gathering and more.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

Crust

14 sheets graham crackers (or approx. 1 ¾ -2 cups crumbs)
7 Tbsp unsalted butter melted, slightly cooled
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp ground ginger optional
¼ tsp sea salt

Lemon Filling

2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
2 large whole eggs room temperature
2 large egg yolks room temperature
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
½ cup sour cream room temperature

Optional Whipped Cream Topping

¾ cup heavy whipping cream very cold
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Prepare the crust: add the graham crackers to a food processor and process until a fine crumb. Add in the melted butter, vanilla, sugar, salt and ginger powder and pulse until fully combined.
Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press the graham cracker crust mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Press VERY WELL to help the crust hold together well. Bake 10 minutes and set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare the creamy lemon filling: Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine until smooth and creamy. It's important to have room temperature ingredients for the smoothest mixture.
Pour the mixture over the graham cracker crust. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges are set and the middle is just starting to set but still jiggles slightly.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, ideally 3 to fully set.
Serving: when ready to serve, combine the whipped cream ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Dollop or pipe onto the sliced bars and garnish with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: Store these lemon bars in the refrigerator for about 5 days in an airtight container. To freeze, make sure they are fully cooled before adding to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure to thaw in the refrigerator.

Make sure you get sweetened condensed milk and NOT evaporated milk. The cans look very similar and they are right next to each other in the baking aisle so it can easily get mixed up. Unfortunately evaporated milk will not work for these lemon bars.

Use room temperature ingredients for the smoothest lemon layer. The eggs, condensed milk, sour cream, and lemon juice especially should be room temperature or the mixture can be clumpy and not have that velvety smooth texture.

These can be eaten after cooling if you really can't wait, but they are best chilled for at least 2 hours to set up more. Make sure to allow for chill time!

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