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These White Chocolate Lemon Bars are the best lemon bar recipe ever. They have a shortbread crust and a gooey lemon filling filled with white chocolate chips.

The best part about this recipe? It can be made entirely in the blender!

PIN IT NOW TO SAVE FOR LATER!

stack of white chocolate lemon bars

As you probably know, I am in loooooove with lemon. Love it like I want to marry it. For many years I *thought* I hated lemon desserts, but boy am I glad I realized I was wrong.

Lemon desserts rock.

Sometimes I feel like a rich, indulgent, chocolate dessert. Sometimes I crave peanut butter. And often times I just crave citrus. I want that sweet and tart flavor and I want it baaaaad. These bars? These white chocolate lemon bars are for one of those times.

I love these. Love them like I want to marry them.

Overhead shot of white chocolate lemon bars on a clear plate.

When trying to decide what my next crust concoction should be, I realized I didn’t have a basic lemon bar on my site. I have lots of lemon recipes and even lemon meringue pie bars – but no classic lemon bars.

Now I do.

What’s in a lemon bar?

Lemon bars are a super lemony dessert with a crust and a lemon curd filling. They’re dusted with powdered sugar to finish them off.  I did these one better: I added white chocolate.

Lemon bars traditionally have a shortbread crust, but I did these one better. They have a pecan shortbread crust, made from Pecan Sandie cookies. You know the ones, right? Shortbread with flecks of pecans inside? You can use name brand or generic. I think that crust makes these bars.

And the white chocolate. I mean, talk about married. White chocolate and lemon really need to just do it already – get officially married, that is. They are soooo good together!

What makes these lemon bars so easy?

They’re made them in a blender! From crust to filling – they were completely made using my blender. (Note: if your blender isn’t super powerful, you may want to make crush the cookies with a rolling pin.)

3 picture Blendtec process collage

To make the crust, you simply grind the cookies and mix with butter. That gets pressed in the bottom of a pan.

To make the filling, you blend eggs, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon zest in your blender. Pour it over the crust and bake. They’ll set up to be a gooey lemon bar.

White Chocolate Lemon Bars  stack on a clear plate with graphic

Tips for making easy lemon bars:

  • If you don’t have a strong blender, you can use a food processor for the crust. Or, put the cookies in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.
  • Skip the white chocolate if you want a pure lemon bar.
  • I made these in a 9×13-inch pan. Want thicker lemon bars? Make them in a 9×9-inch pan (baking time will increase).
  • Ever wondered how much lemon juice is in a lemon? Somewhere between 2 tablespoons and 1/4 cup, depending on size.
  • To get all the juice out of your lemon, microwave it for 10-15 seconds, then roll it on the counter before slicing and juicing.
  • Wonder how to make lemon zest? You need a microplane or zester (or the smallest side of a box grater) and you just grate the lemon rind. Use only the yellow, not the white.
  • Store the bars in the refrigerator or freeze for up to a month.

Click here to see the complete list of Lemon Recipes or try some of my favorites:  Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies by Oh Sweet Basil, Lemon Bar Muddy Buddies by Lemon Tree Dwelling, or an Easy Lemon Poke Cake by Something Swanky!

stack of white chocolate lemon bars

WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON BARS

4 from 2 votes
White Chocolate Lemon Bars are an easy lemon bar recipe with a shortbread crust, gooey lemon filling, and white chocolate chips. These lemon bars are always a hit!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Yield 16 bars
Serving Size 1 bar

Ingredients
 

  • 21 Pecan Shortbread Cookies (one 11.3 ounce/320g package Pecan Sandies)
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter , melted
  • 1 cup (170g) white chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (118ml) fresh lemon juice from about 2-3 large lemons
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest from about one large lemon
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (31g) all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • Powdered Sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9” baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. You can use foil as well but I prefer parchment.
  • Crush cookies in a food processor until they're a fine crumb. Pour into a bowl with melted butter and stir with a fork until combined. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle crust with white chocolate chips.
  • Add lemon juice, lemon zest, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and eggs to a blender and blend until smooth. (Alternately you can whisk until combined.)
  • Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden color. The top will have a dull white look too it and not jiggle when tapped. Cool completely.
  • Slice into bars and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • You may substitute regular shortbread cookies for the crust, if desired. 
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Be sure your crust is fully compacted - no holes - or the bars will invert in the oven.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 67mg | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Gooey Lemon Bars start with cake mix!

Stack of gooey lemon bars on parchment paper

My Aunt Tootsie’s Lemon Meringue Pie is full of a rich lemon filling.

Slice of Aunt Tootsie's lemon meringue pie on a blue plate with fork

Lemon tarts are easy to make with only two ingredients!

Lemon tart topped with a raspberry and a blueberry next to it

Last Updated on May 13, 2020

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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4 Comments

  1. Do you have a homade, as in no store bought cookies, recipe for the crust (and since I’m being so demanding, could it be made in the blender, also please ? )? I’m not opposed to the store bought cookies. Actually it’s the complete opposite. Thank you and I can’t wait to try these–white chocolate and lemon, OMG, heaven!!!!

  2. Why the baking powder? I plan to make these, but I’m going to use the Lemon OREO cookies. I’m still vacillating on the white chocolate, but probably will try it. Will use a 9X9″ pan and cut smaller squares.