Looking for a great dessert recipe? These lemon lime bars are so good, and easy to make! They’re perfect for your summer gathering.

I think I finally figured it out.

The whole baking thing.

Before—in the macaroni and cheese kitchen nothing I baked ever turned out.

My cookies would run off the baking stone or be solid as a rock and my cake would get done around the edges and be raw in the middle and my pies sometimes sunk like the top of a volcano.

Once at a party, my brownies were so hard that when I tried to cut them the whole brownie sheet flew across the room and landed on the floor.

But the answer to becoming a better baker was there all along staring me in the face.

All I had to do…..

…..was actually follow the directions.

These lemon lime bars are so good!

Are you laughing?

*sigh*

Can you even believe it was so simple?

So when the recipe called for Cornflakes and I thought Wheaties would work out?

Or when I thought baking power was just as good as baking soda?

Or that chopped up pieces of Valentine’s candy were almost as good as semi-sweet chocolate chips?

Umm…..

….not so much.

Now I follow a recipe to the tee.

I try to never miss a step.

And it’s truly amazing…..

….the difference just a few directions can make. 🙂

These lemon lime bars are easy to make and super tasty

Lemon Lime Bars

Recipe from bhg

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter, cut up

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup Half and Half

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel

1/3 cup lime juice

1 drop green food coloring

Flour on the counter ready to bake

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan and line with parchment paper, pressing the paper on to the bottom and up the sides of the pan (this is such a wonderful step and makes the bars so pretty)!

Set aside.

Pats of butter for the lemon lime bars

2.  Make the crust

To make crust, in a large bowl combine 2 cups of the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press firmly into the bottom of prepared pan.

Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes.

A bowl of eggs for the recipe

3.  Whisk together eggs, sugar and flour

While the crust is baking,  in a medium mixing bowl whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, half and half and 3 Tbsp. of flour.

Divide mixture evenly into two bowls.

Halves of lemon and lime

4.  Pour filling

To one bowl add lemon peel and lemon juice.

In the other bowl add lime peel, lime juice and drop of green food coloring.

Pour lemon filling over hot crust and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until it is set.

Next, carefully pour lime filling over lemon filling.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes more or until set.

Cool completely in a pan or on a wire rack.

Use paper to lift uncut bars out of pan.  Cut into bars.  Sift powdered sugar over bars.

Top with lemon and lime peel if desired.

Refrigerate to store.

Finished lemon lime bars

These bars are amazing.  They taste kind of like a key lime pie with the most delicious crust.

You take a bite and then you want to take another and another.

Perfect for a summer evening on the porch with a glass of sweet tea.

Following directions never tasted so good. 🙂

PS  For more recipe inspiration….be sure to check out my recipes page!

Want to know how to decorate your home for free?
Click here to get my FIVE BEST secrets.

Posted On: May 9, 2013

Written By: KariAnne Wood

Comments

  4. Image for Msshe Msshe

    All I can say is YUM! I have learned that following directions is best....after not following the directions! Ha! Sheila

    Reply
  5. Image for Angela Angela

    Well look at you!! More than 5 ingredients.....you go girl! LOL!! These look very tasty! I shall give it a try and be sure to follow the directions. Thanks!~~Angela

    Reply
  6. Image for Jean Jean

    If only I weren't giving up sugar, too. They look divine, but I think part of that has to do with your great photography!

    Reply
  8. Image for Audrey Zumwalt Audrey Zumwalt

    Looks so good. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing. I will try these. Blessings, Audrey Z @ Timeless Treasures

    Reply
  11. Image for Beverly Beverly

    I think I am mad at you now. You can make it better by passing me one of these bars. You know I love lime. And, I promise I will love you forever. I will try to eat just one.

    Reply
  12. Image for susan susan

    I've never been a huge dessert fan - but these look amazing. My mother makes them just as the lemon bars - but I'm definitely trying with the lime. Needed to make something yummy for prom dinner on Saturday - your timing couldn't be better! Thanks!!

    Reply
  14. Image for P Higbee P Higbee

    You are such a hoot! Just the right touch of sunshine on a dark and gloomy day in Minnesota. Thanks for sharing your cooking experience and expertise. knowledge is a great thing and directions really do help the most, good luck in your baking future and the bars look awesome. I'm sure they taste just as good.

    Reply
  15. Image for Lynn in FL Lynn in FL

    Karianne- YUM! I love anything and everything lemony/limey/citrusy! I have a question...is there a way to print out your recipes from the blog without also printing the intermittent pictures? Probably so....I'm just kinda 20 years or so behind on the whole computer savvy thing...kwim? Love ya! Lynn in FL

    Reply
  16. Image for Regina Merrick Regina Merrick

    These sound WONDERFUL! I will be trying this! I'm glad you discovered the directions! ;) Being a cooking maverick is great, but only after you've actually discovered that there is a reason for all these silly chemical reactions called "cooking!" LOL

    Reply
  18. Image for Michele/ Finch Rest Michele/ Finch Rest

    Holy moley girlfriend your foodie pics are exquisite! My mouth is big time watering. SO GLAD you are happy in the kitchen- and practice makes perfect. So perhaps make these again and send them to Ohio for me? Actually they are the perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo foodstuffs. Hugs.

    Reply
  26. Image for Tanya Tanya

    I have everything but the limes, off to the store I go! I will not soon forget the visual of your rock-solid brownies flying across a room either, you are FABULOUS!! xo, Tanya

    Reply
  27. Image for Cynthia Cynthia

    My husband will love these, I will save this and be trying them when get to our new home in 6 months!! Baking is science, you have to follow recipes to a tee. Cynthia

    Reply
  29. Image for Sally Sally

    I tried to leave a comment earlier, but my computer was giving me trouble. Hope this doesn't end up being a duplicate. These look so yummy K.A.! I remember learning in home-ec class that BAKING is chemistry -- and each ingredient is important for a specific reason (i.e. browning, rising, flavor, etc), so YES, you are right... it's important to follow directions to the letter. Once you get good at that, you learn where you can tweek things. For example, I started to make pumpkin muffins last night believing that I had enough pumpkin in the freezer. I didn't -- BUT I had already started mixing (of course). I only had 1/2 c. when I needed a full cup. I replaced the other 1/2 cup w/ applesauce, and they turned out perfectly! (p.s. TOTALLY pinning this recipe!) xo ~Sally

    Reply
  31. Image for Sheryll & Critters. Sheryll & Critters.

    Oh wow! I was drooling before I read all of the ingredients. They look and sound amazing. I must try this soon. If I had the lime I would right now. Thanks.... hummm, yeah thanks for making me starve ....lol Really now, thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
  35. Image for Susan Susan

    You reminded me of a story that Christopher Kimball, of Cook's Magazine, told me. He said, one of his subscribers said to him that a recipe in the magazine hadn't turned out. When Christopher asked if he followed the directions, the man said, "well, I didn't have pork, so I used chicken...and I didn't have kale, so I used turnip greens...and," well, Christopher stopped him before he could go on and said, "if you don't have the ingredients, don't make the recipe!" Love the Lemon~Lime bars and will definitely make these up, XOXO

    Reply
  37. Image for bj bj

    "MERCY ME, WOMAN...you done turned into a COOK"....I never would have believed it...:))) hahhaaa....I just pinned this and can't wait to make them. xo

    Reply
  40. Image for shirley@housepitalitydesigns shirley@housepitalitydesigns

    Kari...I am so proud of you!...You have really been cooking and baking away....We love lemon bars and I need to make those great lemon/lime bars too!....thanks for the great recipe!...

    Reply
  42. Image for Barbara F. Barbara F.

    Mmmmm......... makes me want to plant citrus trees so I'd have both fruits available. I can imagine you cooking these yummy bars in your equally yummy kitchen. Blessings, Barbara

    Reply
  45. Image for Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door Sonya@Beyond the Screen Door

    Lemon bars are my alltime favorite summer dessert! So I can only image how much I would LOVE these! I know exactly what you mean about directions. I'm pretty good about following them on new recipes but ask me for an old recipe that my family has used for years? Pinch of this...maybe a cup of that...give or take...just go by how it looks...you can tell if it needs more...etc. That's how I learned it! :) Definitely going to go by the recipe on these delicious looking lemon-lime bars. Wouldn't want to mess this up!

    Reply
    1. Image for sandi sandi

      Hi Katherine - half and half is a milk product that is half whole milk & half cream. You could make your own version using regular cream & whole milk if half & half is not available where you live!

      Reply
  52. Image for Sara Sara

    These look simply AMAZING!!! YUM YUM YUM~!! I love anything lime or lemon...my mouth is watering just looking at them.

    Reply
  55. Image for Soundbar Reviews Soundbar Reviews

    You will have wide choices of surround speakers because there are various types being sold inside the market. Go into any store where they can actively switch between speakers mid-song and still have them proceed through their setup and listen. Good surround sound is something I like to call hd audio.

    Reply

Comments are closed.