Description
These creamy lemon squares feature a buttery graham cracker crust topped with a luscious, tangy lemon filling made with sweetened condensed milk and fresh lemon juice. Perfectly baked to a set, creamy texture, this dessert is bright, refreshing, and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 24 squares graham crackers
- ¼ cup sugar
Lemon Filling
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 can (12 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat Oven Preheat your oven to 350°F to prepare for baking the crust and filling.
- Prepare Pan Butter and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some paper hanging over two sides for easy removal later.
- Make Crust Mixture Break the graham crackers into pieces and add them to a food processor. Pulse until finely crumbled. Add sugar and melted butter, then pulse again until the mixture is combined.
- Form Crust Transfer the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Press it firmly into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides to form the crust layer.
- Bake Crust Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely in the pan.
- Prepare Filling While the crust cools, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks until smooth using a whisk or electric mixer. Add the fresh lemon juice and whisk until fully combined.
- Add Filling and Bake Pour the lemon filling evenly over the cooled crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust is nicely browned.
- Cool and Chill Remove the pan from the oven and let the lemon squares cool completely on a cooling rack. For firmer texture, refrigerate after cooling to room temperature.
- Cut and Serve Use the parchment paper to lift the lemon squares out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and cut into 16 mini squares or 9 larger squares as desired.
Notes
- Using parchment paper with overhang makes removing the squares easier and cleaner.
- For extra zest flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the filling mixture.
- Make sure to fully cool the crust before adding the filling to prevent sogginess.
- Refrigerating the lemon squares for at least 1 hour after baking helps the filling to firm up for cleaner slicing.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece (1/16th of batch)
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
