Lemon Meringue Pie Bars – buttery shortbread crust with tart lemon filling, topped with fluffy toasted meringue!
Happy Monday!
I hope your weekend was fabulous. I spent mine recovering from our roadtrip.
You guys, we drove through Houston when it was still raining. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. And OF COURSE I’d planned to stop at a doughnut placeand was dumb enough to get off the interstate becauseit didn’t click in my pea-sized brain that Houston was flooded.
Survived that, got back on the interstate, and the freakin’ interstate was flooded.
I spent a solid 2 hours in Houston trying to figure out how I was going to save all 3 kids and the dog if the Jeep got swept away.
No, I don’t overreact. Why do you ask?
I don’t recommend coming to Texas until it’s done raining. Just stay away. Not a good situation.
These bars have 3 different components: – the crust, the lemon filling, and the meringue topping – so it looks like a lot of work but it’s all pretty simple and definitely worth the work.
Make crust by beating butter, flour, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and salt together
Press crust into a 9×13-inch rimmed baking sheet; chill in freezer for 10 minutes
Bake crust until golden, about 20 minutes
Cool crust completely before filling
Make filling by whisking together whole eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest
Pour filling over crust and bake until filling is set, another 18 – 20 minutes
Let cool completely before topping
Make the meringue topping by beating egg whites and sugar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form
Gently spread meringue over the filling
Bake until meringue begins to brown, about 8 – 10 minutes
Let cool completely before slicing and serving
How Long Are Lemon Meringue Pie Bars Good For?
These bars will stay good for 2 – 3 days. Make sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Can You Make Lemon Bars Ahead?
I like to make these bars the day before I plan to serve them so that they can be completely chilled by the time I cut them. They slice best when chilled and you can really see the layers that way.
Each layer does have to cool after baking so make sure you account for that time when you plan to make these.
Lemon Meringue Pie Bars - buttery shortbread crust with tart lemon filling, topped with fluffy toasted meringue!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour10 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, plus 4 large egg whites
2 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
To make the crust, put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the filling, whisk together whole eggs, 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the meringue topping, put egg whites and ½ cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars.
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Water seeping from meringue is practically always coming from the egg whites. There are a few standard things you can do to reduce it. First, do not overbeat. For some reason, recipes love to direct people to beat egg whites "to stiff peaks".
Why does the pie filling get watery? For a lemon filling that's glossy and translucent, and firm enough to cut yet melts in your mouth, cornstarch is the thickener of choice. It's also a risky one because heat and acid (in the lemon juice) can destroy cornstarch's ability to thicken or stay thick.
The key to thickening Lemon Meringue Pie so it sets properly is to cook the filling until bubbles start to pop on the surface of the lemon/egg yolk mixture. It should be the consistency of thick pudding before you remove it from the heat. If it's not thick before you add it to the pie, it will never set properly.
Our Test Kitchen recommends following the recipe, beating, and baking as written. The watery layer between the meringue and the filling (weeping) is usually caused by undercooking.
So you could use lemon juice and still have a "plain" meringue. It is also possible to use another mildly-flavoured acid, such as white wine vinegar, (apple) cider vinegar or cream of tartar. The amount you would use would be the same regardless of which alternative you use.
In a saucepan, blend the cornstarch with the water. Add the boiling water, and cook, stirring until clear and thickened. Let stand until COMPLETELY COLD ( I just put it in the fridge for an hour to speed up the cooling process, but by all means it can sit out at room temperature too).
Once you've noticed the problem, the only solution is to protect the crust and pop the pie back in the oven. If you look in the oven and see that your pecan pie crust has turned a perfect golden brown, you'll instinctively want to take it out -- even if the filling is too jiggly or even soupy.
Avoid storing the pie outside of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. Once you've served a few slices of the pie, return the remaining pieces to the refrigerator to prevent bacteria growth. Never leave the pie sitting at room temperature for long periods of time.
Meringue pies will ''weep'' water because of the interaction between the filling and the whipped meringue. If one or the other is overcooked, water beads will form and weep. Egg whites can also weep if they are over-beaten or are from old eggs. Refrigeration (unfortunately) speeds up the process of weeping—oops!
If you add the sugar too quickly then the mixture will never acquire the stiff consistency you want. You also need to be careful if you've used extra ingredients to flavour your meringues. Oils (such as those in nuts or zest) and liquids can stop the egg whites from stiffening, so you have to experiment with amounts.
You can't overbeat meringue - It's true! You can't ruin it by mixing too much, so once all of the sugar is added, be sure that your meringue is glossy and that you have super firm, stiff peaks when you remove the beater from the mixer. Don't be afraid to mix a little longer if it appears too soft.
When lemon juice comes into contact with a non-stainless steel metal surface, its corrosive properties react with the metal and it can take on a metallic taste. It's best to use glass bowls, nylon strainers, and stainless steel pots when making the lemon filling.
Once baked, French meringue should be crisp and light, but not browned, when done cooking. Be sure to bake them slowly at low heat. You will know when they are done when the baked meringue can easily be lifted off a piece of parchment and the bottoms are dry.
Meringue pies will ''weep'' water because of the interaction between the filling and the whipped meringue. If one or the other is overcooked, water beads will form and weep. Egg whites can also weep if they are over-beaten or are from old eggs. Refrigeration (unfortunately) speeds up the process of weeping—oops!
When liquid accumulates between the meringue and pie filling, the meringue is said to weep. This occurs because the meringue was spread on a cool filling. To avoid this, always spread the meringue on a hot filling. Beading—brown droplets on the surface of the meringue—may occur if the meringue is overcooked.
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