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Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd

These Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd are simple and so delicious!  They taste like little bites of lemon tart, but so much easier to make!  Plus 18 more delicious spring recipe ideas.

Today I’ve joined a talented group of bloggers, and we are sharing 19 delicious spring recipes with you!  All perfect for spring gatherings, Easter and Mother’s Day!  Thank you to Krista of Happy Housie for organizing.  Make sure to check out all the delicious recipes in the links at the bottom of this post!  xo

Lemon in All The Things!

Spring is the time of year when desserts get more light, fresh and full of flavours that remind us that summer is coming.  This is when I love to bake with lemon.  Lemon in all the things.  Breads, loaves, mousses, tarts…you name it, lemon should be in it.  So when I was thinking of a spring recipe to share with you, as part of this spring recipe series, I knew I wanted it to be lemony.  I was thinking of tarts and lemon meringue pies, but I wanted to make something a little bit easier, but with similar flavours…so I made these Lemon Shortbread Squares with my homemade lemon curd.

Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd

Is it a Cookie?  Is it a Square?

Ok, let me tell you about these lemon squares…first are they squares?  Or a cookie?  Or a bar?  I don’t know.  The base is a buttery delicious shortbread, and the topping is homemade lemon curd. So they’re kind of like a cookie crossed with a square…actually they remind me of lemon tarts…but without all the fuss.  What ever you want to call them, there’s no denying their deliciousness.  They are like little bites of lemony sunshine.

Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd

Lemon + Shortbread = Delicious!

I don’t know what I like better about these squares, the shortbread crust or the lemon curd topping.  But what I do know is, together they are perfection.  Honestly, anything with lemon curd is a winner in my books.  I absolutely LOVE homemade lemon curd.  It is the most easy recipe to make, and it’s so versatile.  You can spread it on scones or toast, drizzle it over ice cream, add it to cookies, cakes and pastries…the lemony possibilities are endless!  And now you can add it to these Lemon Shortbread Squares.

Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd

They are so good.  They’re definitely in my top 10 favourite desserts.  And did I mention how easy they are to make?  No fancy ingredients, no complicated instructions…just a simple and delicious dessert.

Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

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Lemon Shortbread Squares

These Lemon Shortbread Squares with Homemade Lemon Curd are simple and so delicious!  They taste like little bites of lemon tart, but so much easier to make!

  • Author: Jo-Anna Rooney
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 80 minutes
  • Yield: 12 squares 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Lemon Curd:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • juice from 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
  • zest from 1 lemon

Shortbread:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • dash of salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp butter (at room temperature)

Instructions

Lemon Curd:

  1. Make the lemon curd first.
  2. In a saucepan whisk together the sugar and the egg until smooth.
  3. Stir in the melted butter, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest, and cook on low-medium heat, whisking often.
  4. Whisk and cook until the lemon curd glaze thickens, about 15 – 20 minutes.

Shortbread Crust:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, making sure to leave some overhang so you can pull the square easily out once it’s done baking.
  3. In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
  4. Add the butter, and with a pasty cutter or your hands, work the butter into the flour until it is a crumbly dough.
  5. Measure out about 2 tablespoons of the dough for the crumble topping, and refrigerate.
  6. Then press the remaining dough into the baking pan.
  7. Put the pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes to make the dough firm.
  8. Then bake the dough for 15 minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven and spread on the lemon curd, making sure to leave a border about a 1/2 inch wide.
  10. Crumble on the 2 tbsp of remaining refrigerated dough.
  11. Return the square to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
  12. Let the baked square cool for at least 20 minutes, then using the parchment overhang lift it out of the pan and cut into squares.

Keywords: lemon curd, lemon curd shortbread, shortbread squares

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Recipe adapted from The Food Network.

More delicious lemon recipes:

15+ Lemon Recipes

 

More Spring Recipe Ideas:

Make sure to check out all these delicious spring recipes…there are 18 here to get your mouth watering!  I hope you’ll be inspired to make up something scrumptious.  Happy Spring!

Raspberry Lemon Quench at The Happy Housie

Amazing Gluten Free Popovers at Willow Street Interiors

Easy Strawberry Ice Cream Cake at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Chocolate Challah Bread at Place of My Taste

Low Fat Oreo Fluff Dessert at On Sutton Place

Gluten/Dairy Free Easter Egg Lemon Sugar Cookies at Zevy Joy

Fresh Citrus Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd at Sincerely, Marie Designs

Painted Easter Cake with Chocolate Nest at Craftberry Bush

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe at Happy Happy Nester

Lemon Cheesecake Mini Tarts at The House of Wood

Flower Pretzels at Home Made Lovely (formerly AKA Design)

Lemon Shortbread Squares at A Pretty Life

Dairy Free Avacado Egg Salad at Simple Stylings

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies at Taryn Whiteaker

Easy Cake Batter Dip at Amber Tysl

Tea Cake Sandwich Recipe at Shabbyfufu

Toasted Coconut Nest Cupcakes at Nina Hendrick Design Co.

Pink Lemonade Chiffon Naked Cake at Summer Adams

Kid Favourite Rice Krispie Spring Eggs at Duke Manor Farm

Have a delicious day!

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24 Comments

  1. How much lemon curd do you think this makes? I have some leftover curd from another recipe and am wondering how much these bars use?

    1. Honestly this is the best recipe for lemon shortbread out there according to me. Everything is just so perfect, I’ve been following this recipe for 4-5 times now and it has never disappointed me. It’s my dad’s new favourite dish! Thank you so much for making such an amazing and delicious recipe Jo-Anna!<3

  2. Can you use premade lemon curd? I of course want to make my own as well. But just out of curiosity wondering if it will come out the same.