Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Ingredients

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

As with all of my recipes, this one uses a few different types of gluten-free flour as individual ingredients, rather than using an all purpose flour mixture.

Less convenient? Sure, very slightly... but I find the flavour and texture payoff is well worth it, especially when it comes to things like cookies and pastries.

When it comes to this recipe, though, the need to stick exactly to the recipe and not substitute a blend isn’t nearly as important as some.

You could likely swap the flours out for an all-purpose gluten-free flour without noticing too much of a problem.

Anyway, I use the following flours in this recipe:

Light Buckwheat Flour
Sorghum Flour
Sweet Rice Flour
Coconut Flour
Xanthan Gum

Other Ingredients

Aside from the more specialty gf flour type ingredients, you’ll need a few simple ingredients to round out this recipe:

Fresh Lemons

Lemons are used throughout this recipe, both as juice - in the bars and the glaze - and as lemon zest in the bars themselves.
I use regular lemons, as I love the tart punch of lemon flavor... but you can use Meyer lemons for a more mild punch. A slap of lemon, maybe?

Just be sure to use fresh lemon juice, rather than anything from a jar.

The lemon juice you can buy in a grocery store doesn’t taste right in baking, and besides... you need lemon zest too!

Sugars

This recipe calls for both Granulated sugar (in the bars) and Confectioners / Icing / Powdered Sugar, in the glaze.

Everything Else

Butter room - This should be room temperature, cold butter won’t whip up right!
Large eggs
Baking powder
Salt

Equipment

Aside from measuring spoons and cups, there are a few other bits of kitchen equipment that you’ll either need for this recipe, or that will make things easier for you.

Baking Pan

You’ll need something to bake this in - an 8" x 8" Baking Pan. is perfect for the amount of batter.

Citrus Juicer & Zester

You’ll both zest and juice the lemons for this recipe.

For zesting, I recommend a Microplane zester.

I use one that's kind of a ... triangular box with a handle. Love it, wish I knew where I got it - I've had it for over a decade.

Any decent microplane will work just fine, though!

As for juicing... I'll usually use my Cuisinart Pulp Control Juicer when I'm doing anything with citrus... but this is only 2 lemons. It seems like overkill, TBH.

So, I'll usually use my handheld Lemon Squeezer to juice it, or my Manual Citrus Juicer with Cup, which has been my go-to lately.

As long as you're using something that does a good job of getting the juice out, you can use whatever you want!

Offset Spatula

This is more of a nicety than a requirement, but it’s nice to have an Offset Spatula on hand for spreading the glaze. I like to have a few different sizes, for different applications.

A smallish or medium sized one would be perfect for this recipe, a larger one could be unwieldy to work with, in a small pan like you’ll be using.

How to Make Chewy Gluten-Free Lemon Bars

The full recipe follows at the end of this post. This is a pictorial overview with additional tips and information

Make the Lemon Bars

Preheat oven temperature to 350 F (180 C). Grease an 8"x 8" square cake pan with vegetable shortening or baking spray.

For easy removal of the bars, I like to line the baking pan with parchment paper, after spraying with pan spray.

The spray helps the parchment paper to stick to the edges of the pan, making pouring and spreading the batter much easier than it could be!

In a large bowl - I like to use a stand mixer set up with a paddle attachment - cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest, continue to beat until well incorporated and smooth.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Add this dry mix to the wet ingredients, stir gently until everything is well distributed.

Transfer batter to prepared baking pan, spreading evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle and lightly golden brown around the edges. Do not over cook!

For best results, alllow bars to cool completely to room temperature before making the glaze. Placing the pan on a wire rack to allow air to circulate under it will help it cool.

Glaze the Bars

Whisk together lemon juice, salt, and icing sugar until smooth.

Use a spatula, offset spatula, or back of a spoon to spread the desired amount of glaze over the cooled bars in an even layer.

Allow the glaze to set up before using a sharp knife to cut them into bars.

Storing Leftover Bars

Any bars that aren’t being served in a day or two can be covered with plastic wrap - or transferred to an airtight container - and chilled.

They’ll taste best when allowed to warm up to room temperature before serving.

More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes!

Looking for even more fantastic gluten free recipes for desserts that *everyone* will love? Look no further, here are a few of my favorite recipes!

Cherry Cheesecake Fluff Salad
Chocolate Fondue
Chocolate Peanut Butter Confetti Squares
Deviled Strawberries
Easy Gluten Free Brownies
Gluten-Free Brandied Apple Crisp
Gluten Free Butter Tart Bars
Gluten-Free Buttertarts
Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes
Gluten-Free Earl Grey Pie
Gluten-Free Fruitcake
Gluten-Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-Free Nanaimo Bar Brownies
Gluten-Free Puffed Rice Bars
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten-Free Raspberry Bars
Gluten Free Rocky Road Brownies
Gluten-Free Schmoo Torte
Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding
Pina Colada Fluff

Also, be sure to check out our collection of Gluten Free Cookie Recipes!

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