Brûléed Meyer Lemon Bars
A fun twist on tradition lemon bars, these are made with meyer lemons and topped with a thin caramel shell.
I think that nature purposefully planned citrus season for the winter, when the days are cold and dark. And all I want to do is curl up and hibernate till spring. I don’t know about you, but a taste of citrus does a lot to brighten up my day.
With it being the height of citrus season, I’ve had lemon bars on the brain. But regular lemon bars weren’t going to cut it. First of all, I wanted to use meyer lemons, the smaller and sweeter cousin of the lemon. And I had seen in a cookbook (though now I can’t remember which one) the suggestion of brûléeing the top of lemon bars and couldn’t get that idea out of my mind.
Much like crème brûlée, the thin layer of caramelized sugar sits on top of a creamy layer of lemon filling, providing a slight crunch and fun flavor. It’s not a typical topping for a lemon bar, but I really liked it.
The topping isn’t the only thing different in these bars. If you’re looking for the typical tart flavor, you won’t find it here. They’re a little bit tart and a little bit sweet, thanks to the meyer lemons.
A little bite of sunshine on an otherwise frigid January day. I’ll take it.
baking tip:Brûlée torching tips
Here are a few tips to getting a perfectly brûléed dessert, with a crisp, perfectly golden, caramelized shell:
- Completely chill your custard, or whatever dessert you plan to brûlée.
- Do it right before serving so it’s as crisp as possible.
- Cover the entire surface of your dessert with a thin, even layer of sugar.
- Pass a kitchen torch evenly over the surface, pausing just long enough as needed to melt and caramelize the sugar without burning it.
- Serve and enjoy immediately!
If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can use your oven broiler with similar (but not as good) results. Place the oven rack on the highest setting, put the ramekins directly under the broiler, and set it on high. Wait for the sugar to melt and caramelize, rotating the ramekins as necessary for even browning. This can take up to 5 minutes.
Brûléed Meyer Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (230 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse salt
For the filling:
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ⅔ cup fresh meyer lemon juice (about 3-4 meyer lemons)
- Zest of 3 meyer lemons
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (83 grams)
- Additional sugar , for bruleed topping
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and creamy. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.
- Press the dough into the prepared baking pan and chill for 30 minutes. Bake until just beginning to turn golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
To make the filling:
- Whisk together the eggs, sugar. lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour in a medium bowl. Pour into the cooled crust and bake for 5 minutes past when the middle has set (test this by giggling the pan, if the center does not move, it is set), or 30-35 minutes total.
- Let cool for about 30 minutes, then use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
To brûlée the lemon bars:
- It's best to work in small batches, so slice them into servings first. Sprinkle sugar on a few bars at a time and use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize it. You may also use your oven broiler, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn.
- Brûlée right before serving for best results. Store lemon bars in the fridge.
Notes
- If you'd like to skip the bruleed topping (though you shouldn't), simply dust the bars with powdered sugar once they have cooled.
- If you cannot find meyer lemons at your grocery store, you may substitute regular lemons. If you do, increase the sugar to 1 ⅓ cup.
Is there a reason the filling would separate from the crust?
I couldn’t find Meyer lemons so I used an orange and two lemons instead. The bars turned out so good! Thank you for the recipe.
I love lemon bars! This is such a fun twist.
I’m so intrigued by these! I love the idea of doing a creamy lemon bar topped with a little caramelized crust…Just what the doc ordered on a day like today 🙂
What an awesome idea to level up on lemon bars!
Oh yum, adding to my “Lemon” board on Pinterest! Also, I quite possibly want a print of the second pic on this post; the one w/ lemons, eggs, and a whisk in the background. Is that possible?
What a good idea! I’ve only ever seen lemon bars with the powdered sugar on top. Where did you get your meyer lemons? I’ve never seen them in any of the stores around here.
Also, the one time I did creme brulee I borrowed my dad’s propane torch from the garage and it worked like crazy. Way fun to melt the sugar and watch it turn brown.
Surprisingly, Wal-Mart carries them often.
And yeah OMG I need these in my life!
I agree. Citrus in the winter is one of few things that carries me over til the spring months. The brûlée on these are gorgeous!
I’m all about the citrus right now. It’s definitely the one bright spot in the otherwise dismal produce department at this time of year. Love the idea of bruleeing a lemon bar… I’ve had a lemon tart that was prepared that way before, and I just love how the burnt-sugar topping and the tangy lemon filling play against each other.
My first time here and I heart this recipe. Would want to try this one soon. The photos really whet my appetite!! Yum
It’s so true that citrus helps brighten up an otherwise ugh winter. These bars are SUCH a great idea and your photos are stunning!
Love the brûlée on top! These look fabulous!