Easy Lemon Bars with Almond-Infused Crust

I was really close to my mom’s mom growing up. The Bear household (yep, their real last name) made for great visits for a quartet of granddaughters. And in my completely biased opinion, our Nana Bear was funny, fun, and basically the best of the best.

She loved, and made a big deal out of, pretty much every holiday. She’d sit and play cards, Memory specifically, for hours with us. When my mom tried to crack down on the five outfits I wore over and over to school and “schedule” my wardrobe, she taught me how to do my laundry so I could wash the ones I liked and wear them again. (My mother is rolling her eyes and groaning as she reads this.)

She laughed with her entire body and snorted every time she did. A trait my cousin has inherited, and it is glorious.

She was also a damn good baker. My mom still swears by her banana bread recipe and considers it blasphemy to make any other.

But these are what I remember most.

Lemon bars.

I’m convinced these bars began my infinite love of almond extract. While you taste the light, tart lemon, the sweet undertone of almond in the crust is perfection.

And though I might have been a very vocal little food critic, my boys love these bars. Apparently Nana was just off by a generation.

I imagine this was her go-to when she needed something quick and delicious for guests. My grandparents seemed to host often. All told, this dessert takes about 15 minutes to prep and 35 minutes to bake. And it will make you some instant friends.

Cooking Notes

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before starting to prep the bars.

The crust is five simple ingredients. Mix the flour, cornstarch, and softened butter together until combined. I use a pastry cutter for this. Add the wonderfully fragrant almond extract, then slowly incorporate the powdered sugar to avoid making a mess. The dough will resemble a crumbly sugar cookie batter.

Prepare an 8×8 baking pan with butter or spray. Line it with parchment, then press the batter evenly across the bottom so it fully covers the base of the pan. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, until partially set.

While the crust is baking, place the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Cream until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, then add the baking powder and salt.

Zest and juice the lemon and stir both into the wet ingredients until the filling comes together. If you like a bar that is more tart, you can add the juice and zest from a second lemon.

Pour the batter over the partially baked crust, smoothing it with a knife or offset spatula. Bake for another 20 minutes or so, until the filling is fully set. The top will look slightly cracked and lightly browned when it’s done.

Nana would want them to look pretty before you devour them.