• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Toasty Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Brownies & Bars

    Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

    Published: Mar 12, 2020 · Modified: Aug 9, 2021 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 729 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars by The Toasty Kitchen
    Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars by The Toasty Kitchen
    Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars by The Toasty Kitchen

    Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars are an easy to make, homemade dessert recipe that's perfect for spring and summer. Tender and moist sugar cookie bars are filled with lemon zest and topped with a crunchy sugar crust.

    A stack of three sugar cookie bars.

    Lemon sugar cookie bars are the perfect addition to your next picnic or spring gathering. These bars are light, tender, lemony, and incredibly easy to make.

    They are made with easy to find, simple ingredients, and the dough whips up in just a few minutes. The best part about making sugar cookie bars is that you simply spread it into a 9x13 pan and bake! No need to portion into individual cookies.

    Serve these lemon sugar cookie bars for Easter, your next summer barbecue or picnic, or any time you're looking for a sweet lemon treat. You may also love my lemon mousse and lemon icebox cake recipes!

    Ingredients and substitutions

    Ingredients to make sugar cookie bars.As with most baking recipes, I do not recommend many substitutions, since each ingredient has its purpose and baking is an exact science.

    The unsalted butter and salt can be substituted with salted butter.

    For this recipe, you'll need baking powder, not baking soda. The two cannot be used interchangeably, so you must use baking powder in this recipe.

    Mixing cookie dough, then pressing into a 9x13 pan.

    Lemon juice and zest

    You'll want to grab one large lemon at the grocery store - you'll need fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest for this recipe.

    When zesting and juicing your lemon, I recommend zesting with a microplane, and juicing.

    With one lemon, your bars will have a light lemon flavor. If you want an intense lemon flavor, I suggest zesting up to two lemons for this recipe.

    Lemon sugar cookie bars cut into squares.

    Storage and freezing

    Stored in a tightly sealed container, your sugar cookie bars will keep for 3-5 days.

    To keep them fresh for longer, add a slice of bread to the container and replace it when the bread gets stale. The bread slice helps keep the bars soft and moist. 

    Sugar cookie bars will also keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to tightly wrap them with multiple layers of foil or plastic wrap, and store inside a freezer safe container or bag.

    A stack of three sugar cookie bars.
    Print Recipe
    4.83 from 41 reviews

    Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

    Lemon sugar cookie bars are an easy to make, homemade dessert recipe that's perfect for spring and summer. Tender and moist sugar cookie bars are filled with lemon zest and topped with a crunchy sugar crust. 
    Prep Time10 minutes
    Cook Time20 minutes
    Total Time30 minutes
    Servings: 24 squares
    Calories: 162kcal
    Author: Heather

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
    • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 2 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 teaspoons lemon zest, *double for a strong lemon flavor
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 ½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup (48 g) granulated sugar, reserved for topping

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, or lightly grease the bottom and sides and set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice, then beat until fluffy, about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
    • In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.
    • Pour into prepared pan and use a spatula to spread evenly to the edges. Batter will be thick.
    • Sprinkle up to ¼ cup of reserved granulated sugar evenly over the top of the batter.
    • Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until bars are lightly browned around the edges and beginning to lightly brown across the top. To test with a toothpick for doneness: Insert toothpick into the center of the pan. If toothpick comes out with wet batter, the bars are not done. Continue checking every 2 minutes. If toothpick comes out dry or with a few crumbs, your bars are done.
    • Place pan onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

    Equipment Recommendations

    • 9x13 Nonstick Pan
    • Microplane Zester
    • Lemon Juicer
    • Reynolds Parchment Paper

    Notes

    • *For a stronger lemon flavor, add more lemon zest. As written, your bars will have a light lemon flavor.
    • Once completely cooled and sliced, store bars in an airtight container at room temperature. Bars will keep for 3-5 days. To keep them fresh for longer, add a slice of bread to the container and replace when bread gets stale. Bread will help keep the bars soft and moist. 
    • For this recipe, you'll need one large lemon for the juice and zest.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Serving: 1square | Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American

    More recipes

    • Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Lemon Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)
    • Toasted Coconut Blondies
    • Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars

    More Brownies & Bars Recipes

    • Cast Iron Walnut Brownies
    • 40 Easy Rice Krispies Treats Variations
    • Tahini Brownies
    • Halloween Rice Krispies Treats

    Share this recipe:

    Subscribe

    Get our newest recipes delivered to your inbox for free!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Sharon

      January 19, 2022 at 10:49 am

      There were really easy to make! The hardest part of the whole process was spreading the batter evenly in the pan. They were really good with a soft texture. I added a lemon glaze on top to dress them up a bit. Looking forward to trying lime and orange versions.

      Reply
    2. Sue

      August 10, 2021 at 11:19 am

      Delicious and quick to make! I made a drizzle of lemon juice and powdered sugar and put it over the top after the bars cooled before cutting. Will make a again!

      Reply
    3. Dawn

      June 27, 2021 at 2:08 pm

      Made these for a baby shower. Easy and delicious. Added a icing drizzle to dress them up a bit.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Heather of The Toasty Kitchen

    Hi, I'm Heather of The Toasty Kitchen. I love cooking with real, unfussy ingredients, and I want to help you make homemade meals with ease.

    More about me →

    Winter recipes

    • Winter Fruit Salad
    • Slow Cooker Spicy Bison Chili
    • Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Kielbasa Potato Soup

    Reader Favorites

    • Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
    • Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
    • Easy White Cupcakes
    • Vanilla Sheet Cake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As seen in

    logos of publications The Toasty Kitchen has been published in.

    Copyright © 2023 The Toasty Kitchen®