Drizzled with the best lemon glaze, these Lemon Poppyseed Bars are like summer in dessert form. Light, bright, chewy, with the perfect amount of lemon tartness, these bars are a standout dessert!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar for 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, and mix it until combined. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, mix until combined.
Add the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined with no dry streaks, do not overmix.
Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned along the edges and top does not appear moist. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Let the bars cool on the counter for 30 minutes.
For the glaze:
While the bars are cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. You want the glaze to be thick yet pourable, start with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and add from there.
Pour the glaze on top of the bars. With an offset spatula smooth the glaze all over the top of the bars. Let them cool completely in the pan.
Lift out the bars by the parchment paper. Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
They can easily be doubled to feed a larger crowd.
Use lime juice, orange juice, or grapefruit juice in place of the lemon for a twist.
Do not skip the glaze, it sends these bars over the top delicious.
Add berry puree to the glaze for a lemon berry bar.
These can be frozen, see my tips above on that.
They can easily be doubled to feed a larger crowd.
Use lime juice, orange juice, or grapefruit juice in place of the lemon for a twist.
Do not skip the glaze, it sends these bars over the top delicious.
Add berry puree to the glaze for a lemon berry bar.