I present to you one of my favorite stand-by recipes, one of the first that I mastered as a newlywed.
I originally featured this recipe on Bready or Not back in 2012. I didn’t have as many blog readers then, and my pictures sucked, so I decided it was time to share the recipe again. It’s worthy of the repeat.
There’s a lot to love about the recipe. It’s quick and easy to make. Lemon or yellow cake mix forms the base; there’s no major taste difference between the two. You get to smash up crackers, which is fun.
Cake mix and cracker crumble.
The resulting taste is a mix of lemon, a touch of sweetness, and saltiness, and it works so well. I’ve tried other lemon recipes that have a thicker custard layer, and they don’t keep or travel well. These do. They should be chilled, but they remain solid to pack in a lunch or to bring to a potluck.
Smooth mix of condensed milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks.
These are really the perfect summer dessert. Lemony, sweet, salty. Cool to the tongue.
Plus, they are pretty–ah, the pictures turned out so much better this time around! See? These lemon bars are downright photogenic AND delicious.
Originally posted on Bready or Not in 2012; based on recipe from a Real Lemon juice advertisement.
Bready or Not: Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix or yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups finely crushed saltine crackers whole sleeve of crackers
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, butter, and one egg until mixture is crumbly. Stir in saltine crumbs. Reserving two cups of the crumb mixture, press remaining crumbs on bottom of the parchment-lined pan. Use your fingers to mush it as evenly as possible.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.
- With wire whisk, beat 2 egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Spread over prepared crust using a spatula or the back of a spoon. Evenly top with reserved crumb mixture.
- Bake 25 minutes longer or until set and top is golden. Let cool. Refrigerate within 2 hours. Cut into bars. Store covered in fridge.
- OM NOM NOM!
