One of the things I love about this lemon curd bar recipe is that the crust has an oatmeal base! I also love that perfect layer of lemon curd: not too much and not too little.
Okay, it’s no surprise that I made lemon curd. Here’s the recipe. Lemon reminds me of my grandmother! Holy moly, she made the best lemon desserts. Seriously. I could cry thinking of her lemon meringue pies, her lemon bread and other lemon delicacies I can’t quite put into words.
Lemon is one of the few flavors I would pick over chocolate. Lemon desserts and cocktails are so scrumptious! But I don’t eat them as much as I do chocolate. So I welcome the change and leap in the air when I think of eating these lemon curd bars.
What do I think about lemon bars I see either in coffee shops or online? They have too much lemon curd in them. And don’t get me started on the idea of spreading frosting on them. Not only do I not want to eat that much sugar, but the taste is too rich for me. I think of the saying “less is more” with these lemon curd bars. That is definitely the truth.
What do I think of that fantastically delicious oat/flour/butter mixture that serves as both the crust and the topping to sandwich the perfect amount of lemon curd? It starts my heart singing!
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Helpful tips
- Make your own lemon curd as it is so easy. I would not recommend using canned lemon filling.
- Make sure you grease your pan liberally.
- When you bake these bars, the lemon curd more often than not gets crispy around the sides. Don’t worry about it. They are yummy taste treats and the crispy sides are fun to eat first.
- Make sure to have your butter at room temperature before placing it in your mixer.
How to make lemon curd bars
Pre-step
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and liberally grease an 8 x 8 pan.
Step one
Gather the ingredients – old fashioned oats, brown sugar, flour, room temperature butter and baking soda. (A)
Step two
Grab your stand mixer and place 6 tablespoons of butter and ½ cup brown sugar in it. Turn the mixer on medium and cream the two ingredients together. (B)
Step three
Add 1 cup flour, ¾ cup rolled oats, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon of salt. (C) Turn the mixer on again and mix until everything is incorporated.
Step four
Take ¾ of the dough and press it in the greased pan. (D)
Step five
Spread about 1.5 – 2 cups of the lemon curd on the dough layer. (E)
Step six
Take the rest of the oat mixture and crumble it over the lemon curd. (F)
Step seven
Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
Let the lemon bars cool 10 minutes before you cut into them.
Time to serve the bars.
Doesn’t that look good? I like the crispy little edges. When I’m left to my own devices, I eat that part first.
Soooooo good.
I hope you enjoyed this lemon curd bars recipe!
Please feel free to leave me a lemon lovin’ comment.
And as always, may all your dishes be delish.
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Lemon Curd Bars
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter (softened – room temperature)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup spelt flour (or any flour)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup oats (old fashioned)
- 1.5 cup lemon curd (1.5 – 2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Grease pan
- In a mixer, add butter and sugar. Mix on medium until incorporated
- Add flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats and turn the mixer on medium. Mix until incorporated
- Press ¾ of the dough in the bottom of the pan
- Spread lemon curd over that layer
- Sprinkle the remaining dough on top of the lemon curd layer
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Mine took 20 minutes
- Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting them into bars
- Serve
- Smile
- Enjoy
Equipment
See all my favorite tools and gift ideas at my Amazon Store page!Check out Elaine’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Make your own lemon curd as it is so easy. I would not recommend using canned lemon filling.
- Make sure you grease your pan liberally.
- When you bake these bars, the lemon curd more often than not gets crispy around the sides. Don’t worry about it. They are yummy taste treats and the crispy sides are fun to eat first.
- Make sure to have your butter at room temperature before placing it in your mixer.
Nutrition
Originally published May of 2017.
Kim @ Three Olives Branch
These look wonderful! I am a “middle” piece person myself. Love all of the topping, yum!
Elaine
Thanks Kim!
Lindsay Cotter
These lemon curd bars look fantastic! They’ll be a real crowd-pleaser at summer potluck parties! So nice that you have those memories of your grandmother surrounding your love for all things lemon!
Elaine
Thanks Lindsay!! That was sweet of you to say that about my memories of my grandmother!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
I love the name of this first of all and second, they look delicious. How sweet that you always return containers with food in them. Wish I was your neighbor!
Elaine
Hehe Karen! Thanks!
Suzy
My family would love these bars! Pinning to try.
Elaine
Thanks Suzy. I hope you enjoy it when you do!
Neena | Paint the Kitchen Red
These look so tasty! I do make lemon bars but the addition of oatmeal crumble on top takes it to the next level. I’m definitely making this!
Elaine
Thanks Neena! It’s a family favorite!
Gabby
Yum! I will definitely give these a go. I love lemon anything. Love the way it can make your face cave in too! ?
Elaine
Haha Gabby, for sure!
Jas @All that's Jas
Mmm, I could use a piece or two with my morning coffee. We love lemon desserts! Saving this one. 🙂
Elaine
Thank you Jas!!
Chris
This is one outstanding recipe! I love the oat mixture with the lemon. I could eat a whole pan of these things.
Elaine
I beat you to half of them. 😉
Dan from Platter Talk
Lemon curd is a favorite treat of mine but I’ve never made bars with it before, what a delicious idea! I’m looking forward to making this with my kids sometime this week. Thanks so much for the beautiful post.
Elaine
Thanks so much Dan! It’s so yummy in bars – (and in frozen margaritas! ;))
Gloria
YES please. I am a LEMON lover. I can eat lemon curd by the spoonful. What a great dessert for Easter dinner.
Elaine
Thanks so much Gloria! We eat a lot of lemon baked goods this time of the year!
ORCHIDS AND SWEET TEA, LLC
These Lemon Curd Bars look so delicious!
Elaine
Thanks Shanika!
Tisha
Such a great spring dessert!! Love lemon!
Elaine
Thank you Tisha! I too think of spring when I eat it!
Meghna
The oatmeal crumble on the top…wow! This is such a brilliant addition, I’ll try your way soon. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Elaine
Thank Meghna. I hope you enjoy it when you do!
Jere Cassidy
I think I agree with you in picking lemon over chocolate. I never thought about that, but it’s true now that you brought that up. My lemon trees are covered in fruit right now so I think these bars will perfect.
Elaine
Yum! I used to have a lemon and orange tree back in CA and I miss them! Thanks Jere!
Natalie
I love lemon bars! These look so delicious and unique – different than my usual recipe. Can’t wait to try this!
Elaine
Thanks Natalie! I love lemon bars done this way. I love them with shortbread too but this is my favorite.
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen
I’m such a huge fan of anything lemony, these look so easy to put together and so delicious! Look forward to trying them this Spring!
Elaine
Thanks so much Carrie! I appreciate it.
Denise
Lemon bars reminds me of my Mom, she loves them. I will have to try this recipe for sure.
Elaine
Thanks Denise!! They remind me of my grandmother!
Anne
These are the perfect dessert sweet and slightly tart! I love the crust too
Elaine
Thanks so much Anne!
Julie
I LOVE lemon curd! It’s such a staple in our house – we put it on pancakes or waffles, stir it into yogurt, put a dollop on top of a slice of pound cake. But one thing I haven’t tried is baking it into lemon bars. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Elaine
Us too, Julie. Hubby especially loves it! Thanks for your comment!
Nicoletta
I like this version of a lemon bar with oats! They look so good, and I love the tang from the lemon curd. I too love chocolate but cannot resist lemon desserts 🙂 .
Elaine
Thanks so much Nicoletta!! Me too Nicoletta! Lemon is a good change in place of chocolate.
Kelly Anthony
Lemon curd is seriously one of my favorites and in these bars with the oats and brown sugar….YUM! I can only imagine the flavor is AMAZING!
Elaine
Thanks so much Kelly! It really is a great bar!
Natalie
Lemons are amazing this time of year. And these bars look fantastic! I’m so into lemony desserts lately so I will definitely give this recipe a try. Love that you you used spelt flour.
Elaine
Thanks so much Natalie! 🙂
Charity
I’d pick lemon over chocolate too! These bars look yummy with an old fashioned appeal. The kind you’d take to a potluck!
Elaine
Exactly! Thanks Charity!
Analida Braeger
These beautiful little lemon curd bars remind me of summer picnics! I LOVE! the oatmeal base, they look so delicious and a little crunchy ! 🙂
Elaine
They are crunchy around the edges which is one of my favorite parts! Thanks Analida!
Eileen Kelly
I am loving your recipe! Lemon is a favorite flavor and you have made the recipe so easy to follow! This is a winner of a recipe for me!
Elaine
Thanks Eileen! I appreciate it!
Jo
Those lemon curd bars look fantastic! With summer approaching,they’ll be a crowd pleaser for any gathering!
Elaine
They are definitely loved by everyone who eats them.
Ping
This was a hit at work today! Everyone was raving about it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Elaine
Thanks so much Ping for letting me know! I’m glad your work mates liked it!