Move over lemon bars, there's a new flavor in town! Using the fresh flavors of lemon, lime, and mint, these easy Lemon Lime Bars take lemon squares to a whole new level. Sweet and tart with a hint of mint, enjoy this burst of citrus sunshine on a plate!
[April, 2021: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- Bright, fresh flavors of lemon and lime curd paired with mint complement each other wonderfully
- The lemon and lime curd filling and shortbread base come together quickly
- Takes ordinary lemon squares to a whole new level!
I have a High Tea tradition with my daughters. I take them for tea on their birthdays, no matter the day or the distance. It’s our way of celebrating them on their special day.
On our very first tea date when she was 5 years old, my older daughter was served a lemon bar, and she was hooked. Now I make lemon bars (aka lemon squares) every so often when the mood strikes, and I like to get her opinion whenever possible.
She is a connoisseur after all.
When I have lemons, and limes, and mint in the refrigerator, I update the classic lemon bar recipe with a bright, citrusy lemon lime dessert with a hint of mint. Mint Lemon Lime Bars bars, anyone?
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What you need
Classic lemon bars are essentially baked lemon curd seated on a shortbread base.
In a lemon curd recipe, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and butter are cooked on a stove until thickened. An easy lemon bars recipe skips the thickening step and bakes the curd (minus the butter), and just whisks the curd ingredients together.
This Lemon Lime Bars recipe replaces the usual ½ cup lemon juice found in most recipes for lemon squares with a mixture of lemon and lime juice, plus their finely grated zest.
Oh, and let's not forget the mint! That arrives in the form of mint sugar, a blend of...uhm...mint and sugar. It replaces the usual sugar found in a typical lemon bar recipe. You can, of course, skip the mint if you prefer to make this a straight lemon lime dessert recipe.
The base is made up of a four ingredient shortbread recipe using melted butter, sugar, flour, and salt. The shortbread dough comes together quickly in a bowl, no mixer needed.
How to make Lemon and Lime Bars
There are two main steps to this lemon lime recipe: making the shortbread base, then making the mint-enhanced lemon lime curd. Let's dive in a little deeper.
Step 1: Make the shortbread base
In a medium bowl, mix the cooled melted butter, sugar, and salt. Add the flour and stir to combine (photo 1).
Note that if the butter is too warm, it may not mix well with the other ingredients and will separate out during baking. After mixing in the flour, the shortbread dough will be soft and pliable.
Press the dough into a 9- x 9-inch baking pan with your fingers. I find that covering the top with plastic wrap helps to create a flatter surface.
Refrigerate the shortbread base for 15 minutes, then par-bake at 325°F for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned (photo 2).
After the shortbread comes out of the oven, lightly prick it with a fork, but NOT all the way through (photo 3). This step is optional, but it helps to seal the filling to the base.
Step 2: Make the mint sugar
While the shortbread is baking, put the sugar and mint leaves in a small food processor and pulse until it's well blended (photo 4). The food processor helps to get the mint chopped as finely as possible while mixing it with the sugar. This has the added benefit of infusing the sugar with the mint oil.
Step 3: Make the lemon lime curd
In a small bowl, sift the flour and powdered sugar together. Using powdered sugar in the filling gives the curd a creamy texture, and the small amount of cornstarch (in the powdered sugar) helps to firm things up. Sifting the flour with the powdered sugar helps to prevent lumps.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until just combined. Add the mint sugar, flour mixture, lemon and lime juices and zest, and salt and whisk until just combined (photo 5).
Step 4: Bake the bars
Pour the filling onto the warm, poked shortbread, tapping out the air on the counter before heading to the oven. One trick I use is using binder clips to keep the parchment paper away from the curd while it bakes. Just clip them to the sides of the pan and bake away!
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the center is set and doesn’t jiggle when the pan is tapped (photo 6). Turn off the oven a couple of minutes before the filling is entirely set. Crack the oven door and allow the bars to cool gradually for 1 hour.
Remove the bars from the oven and cool to room temperature, then chill for 1 hour. Use the parchment paper as a sling to transfer to a cutting board.
Step 5: Slice the bars
Cut the slab into 16 squares (photo 7). It’s best to dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry between cuts to get neater squares.
Using a fine mesh strainer, generously dust the bars with powdered sugar. The bars are best served chilled, and dusting them with the powdered sugar just before serving helps to keep it from melting away.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions that you might have...
Sure. Instead of using a food processor to grind the sugar and mint together, just finely chop the mint by hand (my chef instructors at culinary school would call it “mint confetti”) and add it in with the rest of the filling ingredients.
Using freshly juiced fruit will give the brightest flavor, but you can use bottled juice in a pinch.
Yes! Any citrus juices can be used, in any combination. Just make sure there's the equivalent of ½ cup of juice in total. If you're using sweeter fruit, like oranges, you might want to reduce the sugar up to ¼ cup (but not much more as the sugar helps the curd texture). And don't forget to add the zest to up the flavor punch!
Yes. Store the bars in the refrigerator for up to a week. They also can be frozen, cut into squares but without the powdered sugar dusting, for up to 4 months. Wrap the frozen lemon and lime squares in plastic wrap and store in an airtight bag. Thaw in the refrigerator for an hour or two, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Pro Tip: Cover up any imperfections
Despite our best intentions, imperfections can occur. If you over-whip the eggs, trapped air will bubble up even if you tap them out before putting the pan in the oven. Cracks can also appear on the surface of the bars when the curd is over-baked.
Like when baking cheesecake, turn off the oven a couple of minutes before the filling is entirely set and crack the oven door, allowing the filling to cool gradually before removing it to cool completely.
And of course, a generous dusting with powdered sugar will cover imperfections or disappearing topping. And no matter what they look like, these bars will taste fabulous!
Citrus forward taste with a hint of mint
These Lemon Lime bars are sweet and pleasantly tart. The mint peeks out on the backend as you go to take another bite. The lemon and lime curd is soft and creamy, and the buttery shortbread holds everything together well.
My older daughter, the connoisseur, loves them!
Treat yourself, your family, and your friends to a bright new way of enjoying lemon bars.
Move over, lemon squares, there's a new flavor in town!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Lemons, limes, and oranges can add brightness and maybe even a mouth-puckering tanginess to your desserts. Whether the recipe contains fresh squeezed juice or a citrus-flavored extract, you'll want to try some of these citrus recipes!
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Recipe
Lemon Lime Bars with Mint
Ingredients
For the shortbread base
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the mint sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh mint, packed, optional, see Recipe Notes
For the lemon lime curd filling
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting, see Recipe Notes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ⅓ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed, from 2 lemons, see Recipe Notes
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed, from 1 lime, see Recipe Notes
- 1 tablespoon zest, lemons and lime combined, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to to 325 °F. Lightly coat a 9- x 9-inch baking pan with baking spray or butter. Line the baking pan with two pieces of parchment paper placed perpendicular to each other, covering all four sides and leaving a 2-inch overhang. Set aside.
- Make the shortbread: In a medium bowl, mix the cooled melted butter, sugar, and salt. Add the flour and stir to combine.
- Transfer the shortbread dough into the prepared baking pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
- Par-bake the shortbread for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Make the mint sugar: While the shortbread is baking, put the sugar and mint leaves in a small food processor and pulse until they’re finely blended.
- Make the lemon lime curd filling: In a small bowl, sift the flour and powdered sugar together.
- In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until just combined. Add the mint sugar, flour mixture, lemon and lime juices and zest, and salt and whisk until just combined.
- Remove the par-baked shortbread from the oven and pierce the top it lightly with a fork (don’t go all the way through). Pour the curd filling onto the warm crust. Tap the pan a couple of times on the counter to release the trapped air.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the center is set and doesn’t jiggle when the pan is tapped. Turn off the oven a couple of minutes before the filling is entirely set. Crack the oven door and allow the bars to cool gradually for 1 hour.
- Remove the bars from the oven and cool to room temperature, then chill for 1 hour. Use the parchment paper as a sling to transfer to a cutting board.
- Cut the slab into 16 squares. It’s best to dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry between cuts to get neater squares.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, generously dust the bars with powdered sugar. The bars are best served chilled, and dusting them with the powdered sugar just before serving helps to keep it from melting away.
- Store the bars in the refrigerator for up to a week. They also can be frozen, cut into squares but without the powdered sugar dusting, for up to 4 months. Wrap the frozen lemon and lime squares in plastic wrap and store in an airtight bag. Thaw in the refrigerator for an hour or two, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Darcy says
How summery! Reminds me of the mint limeaid at one of my favourite restaurants. I'll definitely have to make these again!
Tammy says
I'm so glad you liked them! Thanks for sharing 😉