Lemon Magic Bars

The inspiration for these magic bars came from a Facebook follower! I posted a picture of my Strawberry Magic Bars and she commented wondering if this would work for lemon. Well, my friends, they do! When I had my littlest, Piper (who is 6), try this recipe she said, “Well . . . they do taste magical.”

The Layers of Lemon Magic Bars

Magic bars often go by the name Seven Layer Bars. So let’s check out the layers in this version. We don’t quite make it to seven in this spin, but as my wise little one said, they are still very magical.

What is Lemon Curd?

The key to this recipe is Lemon Curd. It is what gives it the beautiful sweet lemon taste you’re looking for in this recipe. If you aren’t familiar with Lemon Curd, it is the mixture of lemon, sugar, eggs, and butter. It is absolutely amazing. You can find it with jams and jellies or you can make your own.

Preparing Your Baking Pan

There are a few things that make this bar recipe come out of the pan a little easier. I like using this baking dish because of it’s straight edges. Everyone gets a crisp even bar with this one. The next thing that helps is using parchment paper. Cut two pieces, one for the length and one for the width. Make them long and wide enough that they leave at least three inches over the edge and don’t fold over onto the bars when baking. Finally, I suggest spraying the parchment paper with cooking spray. This recipe can be really sticky after baking, but the combination of parchment paper and cooking spray allows the bars to come out easily.

Tips and Tricks

Baking is so fun and something I love doing with my kids, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for error like cooking does. Here are a few things that will help this recipe turn out perfect.

Use the bottom of a glass cup to push the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar mixture into the pan. It will keep it from sticking to your hands.When making the cookie layer, make sure the butter is room temperature, and carefully measure your flour. You can read my Sugar Cookie post for more detailed tips on sugar cookie dough.If your dough is very sticky, and it is difficult to place on the graham cracker layer, put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature.MOST IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure, double and then triple check, that you buy sweetened condensed milk and NOT evaporated milk. They are not the same thing and evaporated milk will ruin this recipe.When pouring on the sweetened condensed milk, make sure to measure out 1/2 a cup. We are not using the whole can.

Storing

Once the lemon bars are completely cool, cut them and then store them in an air tight container for up to one week.

Freezing

These are a great recipe to freeze. If you would like to ship these bars, I would highly suggest freezing them for a few days first. They will hold up better for shipping that way.