I’m calling these Vanilla Bean Lemon Bars, but they aren’t the kind of lemon bars you might typically think of with a shortbread crust, lemon custard filling, and a powdered sugar top. They are more like a snack cake, and they are very easy to make! I LOVE the combination of the tart lemon and vanilla bean paste. They are moist and sweet with a thin layer of glaze over the top. Just delicious really!
I made these a few times this past week, adapting it from an old almond bar recipe my mom makes, and so we’ve been sharing them here and there so we don’t eat them all ourselves! They are a refreshing little snack, and I love that they come together so quickly with one bowl and a mixer. Be careful not to over mix. This keeps the crumb nice and tender.
See those happy little vanilla bean flecks? Whenever I’m trying to be really fancy, I use this vanilla bean paste, but if you want to use vanilla extract that is fine too.
Here’s a little kitchen tip: For easy, nonstick cutting, use a plastic knife!
Hope you enjoy these sweet little Vanilla Bean Lemon Bars!
PrintVanilla Bean Lemon Bars
These easy Vanilla Bean Lemon Bars are a refreshing little snack, and I love that they come together so quickly with one bowl and a mixer.
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 20 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract is fine too)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2–3 lemons)
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of one lemon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon water (as needed to thin)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Add vanilla bean paste, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix.
- Add salt and flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter evenly into the pan, and bake for 28-30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes, and then pour glaze over the top and spread it evenly to the edges. Cool completely and then cut into bars. A plastic knife works very well! Store in an airtight container.
For the Glaze
- Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste, and heavy cream into a bowl and whisk together with a fork. Add water as needed to thin the glaze. It should be pourable. Pour and spread the glaze over the slightly cooled bars.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bar
- Calories: 226
- Sugar: 21g
- Sodium: 115mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.4g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 2.7g
- Cholesterol: 62mg
Looks so delish!!! Would go perfectly with my cup of coffee right now 😉
Yes it would! Hope you get the chance to try them soon!
I love vanilla and I love lemon, so these would be perfect for my next book club meeting! I just wondered if you have tried to freeze them or could I half the recipe? Thanks.
I haven’t tried freezing them before, but you can make them a day or two in advance and just keep them in an airtight container. It may work to half the recipe and bake them in an 8 by 8 inch dish, but I think you would also need to decrease the baking time. I haven’t had the chance to try that yet, so I’m not sure. Hope you enjoy!
I made the whole recipe and they are delicious! I will give some to a friend and put a few in the freezer too. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you like them! Always nice to have a little stash in the freezer, too! Thanks for letting me know.
Daaaaang, these look good. As a major vanilla lovin’ gal, these look ahhhhmazing. Thee perfect summer treat if you ask me!
Thanks Karly!
These are so pretty! I love the idea of putting some vanilla bean in with the lemon bars.
Thank you so much! We can’t get enough of them.
I made these yesterday, they were delicious! I wanted to let you know that I halved the recipe and baked them in an 8X8 pan for 20 minutes and they turned out great. My six year old raved about them all weekend 🙂
Good to know Megan! Thanks for letting me know how long it took to bake a halved recipe. Six year olds make the best taste testers!
The vanilla bean lemon bar is actually the way you describe. Its very easy to prepare and spacial thing is that “Alex & Rony” – my two sons really loved it. Thanks for this awesome one!!!
Glad it was a hit!
Made this today and it hits everybody in a good manner 🙂
They fondly love with this lemon bar. Thanks for this awesome post.
Thanks Carlton!
These look so yummy! Would I need two teaspoons of vanilla extract if I can’t find vanilla bean paste??