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    Home » Most Recently Added » Baking

    My Mama's Shortbread Bottom Lemon Squares

    Published: Aug 9, 2020 · Modified: May 10, 2023 by kateschat · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Growing up, these were a common dessert, whether it be a potluck or a baby shower, my Mom made these often and I always enjoyed them. Somehow, I never made them myself, but when my oldest was 10, he became disgruntled with only having them when Minnie (my Mom) came to visit, asked her for the recipe and made them himself.

    With our recent gluten free forays, I can tell you that shortbread lends itself well to being gluten free. While I havent made these gluten free, I can give fairly confident gluten free swap suggestions. For the 2 cups of flour in the base, I would swap for 1 ½ cups rice flour and ½ cup tapioca starch and the ¼ cup of flour in the filling for 2-3 tablespoon tapioca starch.

    This makes a big pan, but I dont feel you'll have trouble eating them. You could freeze them if you really needed, or you were wanting to get baking for a holiday done ahead of time.

    Top view of shortbread bottom lemon square on a china plate.

    Shortbread Bottom Lemon Squares

    Kate Schat
    This nostalgic from my childhood recipe hits it out of the park anytime we bake it!
    4.90 from 19 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 55 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 bars
    Calories 196 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Shortbread Bottom

    • 2 cups flour all purpose, whole wheat or pastry flour
    • ½ cup icing sugar
    • 1 cup cold butter, grated

    Filling

    • 2 cups sugar
    • 4 eggs
    • 6 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder

    To Top

    • Icing sugar

    Instructions
     

    Shortbread Bottom

    • Preheat the oven to 350F
    • Mix flour and icing sugar together.
    • Stir in grated butter and mix well. Press into a 9x13 ungreased pan.
    • Bake for 15 minutes.

    Filling

    • While the bottom bakes, stir together all of the filing ingredients together in a bowl.
    • When the bottom is done, pull it out of the oven and pour the filling overtop right away.
    • Return to oven for 25 min.
    • The filling will still be a little jiggly but it shouldnt be runny.

    To Top

    • Once its cooled for 15-20 minutes, sprinkle or dust with icing sugar to taste.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 276IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Theresa

      August 11, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      Thank you for adding the gluten free swap-out’s in your story, I’ll definitely have to try these! ??

      Reply
      • katehosie

        August 12, 2020 at 10:50 am

        Let me know how it goes?

        Reply
    2. KC

      August 14, 2020 at 3:02 pm

      These look great, but 1 question: is the lemon filling more on the sweet side or the sour side? Neighbor used to make these, but the filling was on the sour side (my preference), but she passed and I don’t have the recipe ?????

      Reply
      • anna

        November 27, 2020 at 6:34 am

        id call them 'tangy'

        Reply
    3. Geri Kern

      November 26, 2020 at 12:58 pm

      These are so gooey and tart... We love them so much.. feeds my addiction to lemon and lovely desserts ??

      Reply
    4. Heather

      November 26, 2020 at 1:30 pm

      Made this recipe for a baby shower!! Was a huge hit. They have a become a favourite. My sister made then with 1:1 G/F flour, they turned out great also.

      Reply
    5. Kiara

      November 26, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      This recipe has now become a staple in our house. I always have the ingredients and it’s so fast to whip up. So yummy and a perfect balance of sour and sweet!

      Reply
    6. kathleen

      November 26, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      These are ao easy to make my daughter loves to making them!....we all love it when she makes them too!

      Reply
    7. Stephanie Haas

      November 26, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      This is a nice refreshing dessert. The crust is so buttery and delicious. Definitely going to have to make this again.

      Reply
      • Agnia

        July 19, 2022 at 5:18 pm

        I made this on Sunday and wow. And it is even better the next day. Five stars!

        Reply
    8. Leesif

      November 26, 2020 at 5:32 pm

      Next time I make these, I think it’ll try out with fresh lemon juice and add zest to give it more zing, but the base is great and the consistency of the lemon layer is perfect. I just want more zing ?

      Reply
    9. Alicia Stelling

      November 26, 2020 at 9:41 pm

      I love how simple these are to make. My family ate them all before I got one so I made another pan the next day.

      Reply
    10. KATES BIG SISTER

      November 27, 2020 at 6:35 am

      this reminds me to make them soon... husbands favorite!

      Reply
    11. Ali

      November 27, 2020 at 6:40 am

      Definitely a go to for us. Everyone in the family loves them.

      Reply
    12. Ruth

      December 04, 2020 at 3:36 pm

      Printed this recipe to try next week, can’t wait!

      Reply
    13. NMThonet

      December 05, 2020 at 7:13 pm

      These are like a bit of summer in the middle of December

      Reply
    14. Annie Haché

      December 27, 2020 at 6:53 pm

      Delicious, everyone loved it!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Gluten-Free Buckwheat Cheesecake Brownies - Venison for Dinner says:
      February 14, 2023 at 11:43 am

      […] Shortbread Bottom Lemon Squares […]

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    Hi, I'm Kate! Thank you for joining us on this crazy journey! Our family lives on a 34 acre homestead in northern BC, Canda and get a kick out of things like raising our own meat, dairy and vegetables.

    We’re a homeschooling family who believes life is the best teacher but we do hit the books in winter. I’m so glad you’re here, I hope you stick around!

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