A luscious lemon filling sits atop a chewy coconut shortbread crust for the perfect balance of sweet and tang in every bite. These easy bars always disappear!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 pan with enough parchment paper so that there is some overlap on the sides (to help lift the bars out of the pan later). Spray paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
Spread coconut on a sheet pan and bake until golden brown, shaking the pan every few minutes as needed. This should take about 10 minutes. Allow coconut to cool.
⅓ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add coconut and butter and process until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Pour into pan and press crust into even layer. Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is starting to turn golden brown.
1 cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter,
To make the filling:
While the crust is baking, rinse the food processor bowl and add all of the filling ingredients into it. Mix thoroughly. Take crust out of oven and gently pour filling over hot crust. Return to oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the center starts to spring back when touched. You may have to tent with foil about halfway through the baking time if the top of your bars is browning faster than you'd like.
1 ½ cups sugar, 4 large eggs, ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 packed tablespoons grated lemon zest, 2 teaspoons flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, Pinch of salt
Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, lift parchment from the pan and cut bars. Sift powdered sugar over bars, if desired.
½ cup powdered sugar
Notes
Shake the pan every few minutes when toasting the coconut to ensure even toasting.
Skip the bottled lemon juice (with preservatives) and squeeze your own lemon juice for best flavor.
Lemon bars stick to the pan frequently so be sure to thoroughly line your pan with parchment as well as spray the paper with cooking spray for easy removal.
Check the bars halfway through baking time. If they are browning too quickly, tent with foil.
Dust bars with powdered sugar just before serving so the sugar isn't absorbed into the lemon filling.
Make-ahead: You can toast the coconut up to four days in advance and juice & zest the lemons up to two days ahead of time. Store the coconut in a sealed container at room temperature and add the zest to the juice and store in the refrigerator. Substitutions: Gluten-free flour can be easily substituted in this recipe with great results. I recommend using a gluten-free flour that swaps 1:1 with all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill. Storage: Cool bars completely and refrigerate in sealed container. They are best when eaten within two to three days. Freeze lemon bars tightly wrapped in foil for up to two months. Defrost in refrigerator before serving.