Get the entire recipe, plus access to over 50,000 more from Bon Appétit and Epicurious: bit.ly/3rrsXfe See Kendra's final recipe: bonappetit.com/recipe/foolproof-lemon-bars
I hope Kendra knows that her struggle made this THE MOST INTERESTING video in this series to date. I think us viewers learn more the more you struggle 😂❤
To avoid having your crust float on top of your filling while baking, press your crust down and into the side of the pan immediately after taking it out of the oven while still soft and hot. The crust shrinks when it bakes and it’s an easy way for unset filling to seep under. Also, in order to get a smoother surface on the surface of the lemon filling, pop the bubbles quickly with a kitchen torch before placing into the oven if you’re bothered by it.
Had the issue of 'un-lemony' lemon bars when I last tried these. Found a novel fix: blitz citric acid crystals into a powder and mix it into the sugar dusting (the mixture is basically lemon sherbert). Every bite starts with a sharp lemony hit before that creamy, fragrant baked lemon flavour comes through.
I have made lemon bars where the crust ended up on top - basically the filling has seeped underneath the crust during cooking. I think the answer is to add the filling while the crust is still hot. When the crust cools, it shrinks, leaving a gap. It also helps to precook the filling.
it's really just easier (and gives the classic lemon bar taste/texture) to pre cook the filling in order thicken it up, before you pour it on the crust. The runny liquid filling just soaks into the crust before it reaches a temperature hot enough in the oven to thicken. If your using sweetened condensed milk it's giving you the thickness you need to start, but it's not a classic lemon bar. it's a lemon supreme pie filling bar.
I honestly loved this recipe! I had no trouble with it at all - no upside down crust. I ended up adding another 1/2 lemon's worth of lemon juice though and it hit perfect! My mother loves lemon and I made dinner along with these lovelies for Mother's Day for her. She loved them!
Hey Kendra -- why are you nervous to fail? Experimentation is all about failing and making it better -- thats the awesome part! I'm looking forward to make these this weekend
OOOOOhhhh, I am making these squares. I love lemon squares. LOve them, but there are times I'm always vaguely disappointed with the quality of a lot of store bought lemon squares because the reasons Kendra outlines. I want a firm crust, I want it to be firm enough to be stacked with a mere piece of parchment between layers, and I want lemon and sweetness. I don't want just lemon curd on a crust. It looks AMAZING. You have made my day!
The last time I made lemon bars, I decided to halve the sugar because I thought the amont was ridiculous. Yeah, that was a bad idea. The lemon bars turned out so tart, it made people's teeth ache. 😂
I have a large Meyer Lemon tree in my backyard and am always wanting to try new recipes. Not realizing Lemon Bars were historically difficult, I recently tried a recipe [similar to #3] and was very disappointed. The crust turned out perfect, but the filling never thickened sufficiently even after the required time in the oven. The parchment paper almost started burning on the edges. I just tossed it into the fridge; it was a very tasty, but messy outcome the next day. But I would like to share a rule given to me by a dear friend: Never use metallic bowls or utensils when baking with lemons; avoid the acidity by using glass and/or oven proof bowls and cookware and plastic whisks when possible. 🍋😉
I've never baked or cooked desserts, but I stumbled upon your video and LOVED the process. I really learned a lot watching your process, your struggle, and the reviews... you really look so natural on camera you should do more of these videos... ... and with that ending I'm making this recipe tomorrow!
I am amazed at the recipe instructions. There is a scale being used and the onscreen recipe shows cups, then the website recipe shows some ingredients in grams but the butter still shows tablespoons! The best baking needs exact measurements and in U.K. we definitely don’t measure butter in tablespoons and butter doesn’t come in sticks.
For US butter, 1 tbsp (14.8 ml) weighs 14.2 g. Of course, if UK butter has a different density, that number may be off a little. I agree with you, I would much rather have all my amounts be metric.
I made these today, and reading the comments on the bon appetit site had me a bit worried. They turned out excellent for me, though I decided to gently heat the lemon mixture (to about 75F) before pouring it in
I am definitely going to try these. I have several different lemon bar recipes but none of them seem to deliver the lemon flavor that I want. I always put zest in with the sugar but I am not convinced it makes a difference. The last batch I made I used browned butter in the crust, no egg (never had a lemon bar recipe with egg in the crust), and about 1/4 t of turmeric which gave the lemon part a brighter color with no taste.
EXCELLENT SHOWING CHEF!! I AM happy to see you. Thank you. Welcome to BA as far as I can see. With my hero, Chris?! Lemon bars for life! If I've messed up my compliment I assure you that I want to see many more of your recipes. I BLANK LOVE lemon bars!! 💯💯❤️❤️
I agree completely. MUCH MORE! This channel has had us waiting for content. This is it. If you can make lemons bars you can do anything. I stand STRONGLY BEHIND BA!!! 💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️
This may be heresy at BA, but you should head over to ATK and try Lan Lam’s lemon bars recipe. Yes, they are twice cooked, but they are awesome and have what Lan describes as a secret ingredient to make the lemon flavor pop without being too tart. I have not yet made yours to see how they compare, but Lan’s set the bar high.
BA's Best Banana Bread is my go-to and it's awesome. They had a video with Carla making it a while back. That said I wouldn't mind an updated one or certainly a carrot cake.
I just tried making these. I think the issue of the lemon bars turning upside down is the crust floats on the liquid. More dense crust / heavy packing the crust down.
Your saga of the Perkins bar reminds me of the time I hiked out of the,San Juan mountains in Co. I lost a foot to frostbite so I totally get your struggle.
The "inverted" crusts was also facilitated by the fact that you used those cross-shaped parchments, so the crust was never adhered to the pan and the liquid could just run off and under, duh.
Try using a Manual Egg Shakers, Egg White and Yolk Spin Mixer Egg Scrambler for Making Hard Boiled Golden Eggs, to mix the eggs while minimizing air added to the mix.
It's not the format of the show but the vibe she's giving is legitimately reminiscent of Claire's. Like it kind of feels like that's what she's going for. I can't tell if she's being entirely herself or not.
Kendra is a great host! I don't know how long she's been doing videos on the channel but I like her. I haven't watched any bon appetit since all that drama and nonsense happened a couple years ago.
I can already tell this wouldnt be for me! LOL I am so into citrus I feel like I could straight up add citric acid to make it more tart. There is no such thing as too lemony for me. Lol
I gotta say: I'm not convinced. Rose Levy Beranbaum's Lemon Bars achieve all the criteria laid out here. Not squidgy. Doesn't fall apart when you bite into it. Perfect balance of sweet and sour. Beranbaum's lemon curd is gorgeous and doesn't run even a *little*. It's *perfectly* bright. And is not at *all* thickened with starch so it has an impossibly smooth texture and zero "flouriness". The crust is *actual* shortbread that holds together. It doesn't contain yolk so the crust doesn't get the chewy thing that frankly I don't want in my lemon bars, but because the shortbread isn't overworked and because it's baked at such a low temperature, it holds together just fine and is the perfect soft and mild platform for the curd.
If its not Land O Lakes Lemon Butter Bars, I don’t want it. They’ve had the perfect, easy lemon bar recipe for 50 years. You don’t have to pre-cook the filling and they come out great every time.
That's just not fair really. Not molly. Not Brad. I am a fan. C'mon! Please keep her going! I am finally surprised by BA for the first time in a long time. Hats off. Wish I could've been a taste tester. BA!!
I’m a number 4 through & through, always a raw mix (hand mixed though, not processor). But! I don’t use lemon juice, I use passionfruit juice instead. Far superior IMHO.
Dont know why the people leaving reviews on the recipe had trouble with this. Seems like they didnt put enough pressure into the crust when pressing it into the pan. Or they were too worried about mixing air into the filling and didnt mix it well enough. I didnt have any issue with a floating crust or curdled eggs. The funniest one was someone complaining about the number of eggs. Its a custard/curd. All custards use a lot of eggs. Thats how you get them to set.
Get the entire recipe, plus access to over 50,000 more from Bon Appétit and Epicurious: bit.ly/3rrsXfe
See Kendra's final recipe: bonappetit.com/recipe/foolproof-lemon-bars
this recipe gets totally trashed in the comments of the bonapetit website lol. wont be wasting my time or money
Oh she talks and talks this is not for me
This needs to be a new series ASAP ! Great talent, great style of video, great food content and very much repeatable. Kendra's 10/10
It’s kind of a series. They’ve done chocolate chip cookies, pizza, and thanksgiving turkey off the top of my head
Is this not ripped off NYC cooking? Vaughn does something just like this
Uhhhhh...
this has literally been a series ..? lol
@danieltouzdjiann8678
I hope Kendra knows that her struggle made this THE MOST INTERESTING video in this series to date. I think us viewers learn more the more you struggle 😂❤
Preach ❤
I agree!! I watched every second! So unlike me
Giving me flashbacks of Claire's Gourmet Makes trial and error.😅😅 Love Kendra by the way! She needs a series something like this.
Please do not mention past Bon Appetit employees, if they wanted to be here they would be
@@dgchvzbro chill. It’s not that deep.
She actually 100% reminds me of Molly!!
@@dgchvz you're not helping anyone
@@dgchvzParasocial relationships aren't healthy. You need to calm it down.
Excellent video. Felt personally invested in this lemon bar journey
Blamed first the missing spoon of flour. Then the oven. So she went and got help,for the last batch. Am i wrong?😱😁
To avoid having your crust float on top of your filling while baking, press your crust down and into the side of the pan immediately after taking it out of the oven while still soft and hot. The crust shrinks when it bakes and it’s an easy way for unset filling to seep under. Also, in order to get a smoother surface on the surface of the lemon filling, pop the bubbles quickly with a kitchen torch before placing into the oven if you’re bothered by it.
Closest thing to Gourmet Makes and I’m so HERE for it!!! More Kendra trial and error please!!!
Had the issue of 'un-lemony' lemon bars when I last tried these. Found a novel fix: blitz citric acid crystals into a powder and mix it into the sugar dusting (the mixture is basically lemon sherbert). Every bite starts with a sharp lemony hit before that creamy, fragrant baked lemon flavour comes through.
Great idea! Thanks for your comment
haven’t watched BA for years but this gave me a sense of familiarity, i’m glad i came across this video
Love the energy that Kendra exudes!
You got the job by taking creative risks and willing to make mistakes...that to me is a great chef.
LOVE the failures; I feel like that's what made watching the whole video worthwhile. Very excited to try the final recipe.
The best and easiest lemon bar recipe, I found in Southern Living magazine. I've been making it for years.
These “making it best” are always my favourite videos
MORE OF THIS. Kendra is fun to watch and I really miss this sort of recipe development content. Also love that Cheis Morocco dropped in.
My grandma used to make lemon bars occasionally and I loved them. Can’t remember the last time I had them. I’m gonna bake some in her honor ❤
I have made lemon bars where the crust ended up on top - basically the filling has seeped underneath the crust during cooking. I think the answer is to add the filling while the crust is still hot. When the crust cools, it shrinks, leaving a gap. It also helps to precook the filling.
it's really just easier (and gives the classic lemon bar taste/texture) to pre cook the filling in order thicken it up, before you pour it on the crust. The runny liquid filling just soaks into the crust before it reaches a temperature hot enough in the oven to thicken. If your using sweetened condensed milk it's giving you the thickness you need to start, but it's not a classic lemon bar. it's a lemon supreme pie filling bar.
I honestly loved this recipe! I had no trouble with it at all - no upside down crust. I ended up adding another 1/2 lemon's worth of lemon juice though and it hit perfect! My mother loves lemon and I made dinner along with these lovelies for Mother's Day for her. She loved them!
Hey Kendra -- why are you nervous to fail? Experimentation is all about failing and making it better -- thats the awesome part! I'm looking forward to make these this weekend
OOOOOhhhh, I am making these squares. I love lemon squares. LOve them, but there are times I'm always vaguely disappointed with the quality of a lot of store bought lemon squares because the reasons Kendra outlines. I want a firm crust, I want it to be firm enough to be stacked with a mere piece of parchment between layers, and I want lemon and sweetness. I don't want just lemon curd on a crust. It looks AMAZING. You have made my day!
The last time I made lemon bars, I decided to halve the sugar because I thought the amont was ridiculous. Yeah, that was a bad idea. The lemon bars turned out so tart, it made people's teeth ache. 😂
😂 I had a similar experience.
Kendra is a star -- need more of these asap!
I have a large Meyer Lemon tree in my backyard and am always wanting to try new recipes. Not realizing Lemon Bars were historically difficult, I recently tried a recipe [similar to #3] and was very disappointed. The crust turned out perfect, but the filling never thickened sufficiently even after the required time in the oven. The parchment paper almost started burning on the edges. I just tossed it into the fridge; it was a very tasty, but messy outcome the next day. But I would like to share a rule given to me by a dear friend: Never use metallic bowls or utensils when baking with lemons; avoid the acidity by using glass and/or oven proof bowls and cookware and plastic whisks when possible. 🍋😉
Fab video - really throws back to the pre-scandal BA videos.
I've never baked or cooked desserts, but I stumbled upon your video and LOVED the process. I really learned a lot watching your process, your struggle, and the reviews... you really look so natural on camera you should do more of these videos...
... and with that ending I'm making this recipe tomorrow!
SAME HERE!!
Thank you for the honest journey!! I'm inspired to make this and feeling excited!
I am amazed at the recipe instructions. There is a scale being used and the onscreen recipe shows cups, then the website recipe shows some ingredients in grams but the butter still shows tablespoons!
The best baking needs exact measurements and in U.K. we definitely don’t measure butter in tablespoons and butter doesn’t come in sticks.
yes!!! i hate it when they dont show the recipe in grams :(
Agreed!
I’m in the U.S. but completely agree that ALL baking recipes should be by weight.
Get with it Epicurious
pretty easy adjustment.... not worth the whine :)
For US butter, 1 tbsp (14.8 ml) weighs 14.2 g. Of course, if UK butter has a different density, that number may be off a little. I agree with you, I would much rather have all my amounts be metric.
a stick of butter is 1/2 cup is 113 g, i hope they make google available on your island soon
I love Kendra. Need more of this in my life!
Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for sharing the development process. I'm making these bars this weekend.
I made these today, and reading the comments on the bon appetit site had me a bit worried. They turned out excellent for me, though I decided to gently heat the lemon mixture (to about 75F) before pouring it in
I am definitely going to try these. I have several different lemon bar recipes but none of them seem to deliver the lemon flavor that I want. I always put zest in with the sugar but I am not convinced it makes a difference. The last batch I made I used browned butter in the crust, no egg (never had a lemon bar recipe with egg in the crust), and about 1/4 t of turmeric which gave the lemon part a brighter color with no taste.
Adding lemon zest and decreasing the juice is worth trying, The recipe I make uses two teaspoons of zest and two tablespoons of juice.
EXCELLENT SHOWING CHEF!! I AM happy to see you. Thank you. Welcome to BA as far as I can see. With my hero, Chris?! Lemon bars for life! If I've messed up my compliment I assure you that I want to see many more of your recipes. I BLANK LOVE lemon bars!! 💯💯❤️❤️
More shows like this please~
I agree completely. MUCH MORE! This channel has had us waiting for content. This is it. If you can make lemons bars you can do anything. I stand STRONGLY BEHIND BA!!! 💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️
I must say, I can watch her all day. She is a delight to watch.
This may be heresy at BA, but you should head over to ATK and try Lan Lam’s lemon bars recipe. Yes, they are twice cooked, but they are awesome and have what Lan describes as a secret ingredient to make the lemon flavor pop without being too tart. I have not yet made yours to see how they compare, but Lan’s set the bar high.
I agree with this. Though I use a different crust than the ATK (I found it too crumbly), the lemon filling is AMAZING
I love videos like these! Can we do a recipe for carrot cake or banana bread next?😄
BA's Best Banana Bread is my go-to and it's awesome. They had a video with Carla making it a while back. That said I wouldn't mind an updated one or certainly a carrot cake.
Carrot cake sounds nice!
Thank you Kendra. You are a joy to watch. Your pain is our gain!
I just tried making these. I think the issue of the lemon bars turning upside down is the crust floats on the liquid. More dense crust / heavy packing the crust down.
Brilliant! More Kendra please!!❤
Finally, I've found something interesting to watch on ba again! ❤
Epitome of when life gives you lemons 🤣🤣. Kendra you delivered 🎉
The authenticity is super engaging
100% need more Kendra. LOVED this episode
Explaining your thought process as to why you are changing your ingredients is extremely helpful. Thank you.
11:19 The genuine way that she couldn’t speak or form her thoughts was so funny.
I haven’t watched Bon Appétit in awhile but I enjoyed this video
It was really enjoyable to watch you go through this experimenting process and so satisfying to come through with a great bar at the end.
I looooove lemon desserts! This looks amazing
I love videos with Chris, great source is knowledge and a funny guy
Chris' expert palate will always give you constructive criticism.
Your saga of the Perkins bar reminds me of the time I hiked out of the,San Juan mountains in Co. I lost a foot to frostbite so I totally get your struggle.
The "inverted" crusts was also facilitated by the fact that you used those cross-shaped parchments, so the crust was never adhered to the pan and the liquid could just run off and under, duh.
I love that she believes we are all following along with her ingredient calculations
I feel like she could've saved a lot of time by just asking any Southerner.
Try using a Manual Egg Shakers, Egg White and Yolk Spin Mixer Egg Scrambler for Making Hard Boiled Golden Eggs, to mix the eggs while minimizing air added to the mix.
Adore Kendra!! This is a great episode! 20:11
You did not fail, you learned ways not to bake lemon bars & got an oven in the BA kitchen fixed!
This needs to be a regular show
BA is coming back! kendra is amazing!! haven’t been so interested in a BA video in a while!
It's not the format of the show but the vibe she's giving is legitimately reminiscent of Claire's. Like it kind of feels like that's what she's going for. I can't tell if she's being entirely herself or not.
It's like the youtubers who copy Casey Nesitat…. They know what they are doing here.
In Australia we call these 'lemon slice'. Donna Hays is the best - hers is a curd that you cook once. I've tried others. Hers is the best.
True empiricism. Very interesting. But what precisely was the problem with the oven?
You are my lemon bar soul sister! Goals: 1) perfectly balanced flavor 2) crust 3) aesthetic
Kendra is a great host! I don't know how long she's been doing videos on the channel but I like her. I haven't watched any bon appetit since all that drama and nonsense happened a couple years ago.
i've made lemon bars that look like her worst ones, glad to see i'm not alone
"How did she get this job"
Me: "Well back in 2020...." 😂
I would like to see the final photograph being done...I think it's just as important as compliment to the chef and baker.
My mother would have something to say about this being a perfect Lemon bar
Kendra is my Bon Apetit spirit animal.
Kendra is my favorite among the new members.
I make mine with half lemon juice, half lime juice. But I like a really acidic lemon bar.
My current favorite dessert got a dedicated video!
Super fun! Loved the process.
This was a lot of fun to watch, I only watched cause the great algorithm decided I should; now I want to go make lemon bars!
I've never made a lemon bar where the (not pre-cooked) filling isn't poured onto a HOT crust...
I can already tell this wouldnt be for me! LOL
I am so into citrus I feel like I could straight up add citric acid to make it more tart. There is no such thing as too lemony for me. Lol
When life hands you lemons make lemon bars… ❤😊 love this video!
Can I try the extras?
Make this a series!!!
Kendra is incredibly likeable. I would like to see her more on this channel!
I haven't seen an episode with Kendra before (new?). She felt very comfortable in front of the camera and was fun to listen to.
She has been there a while but not recently.
I gotta say: I'm not convinced. Rose Levy Beranbaum's Lemon Bars achieve all the criteria laid out here. Not squidgy. Doesn't fall apart when you bite into it. Perfect balance of sweet and sour. Beranbaum's lemon curd is gorgeous and doesn't run even a *little*. It's *perfectly* bright. And is not at *all* thickened with starch so it has an impossibly smooth texture and zero "flouriness". The crust is *actual* shortbread that holds together. It doesn't contain yolk so the crust doesn't get the chewy thing that frankly I don't want in my lemon bars, but because the shortbread isn't overworked and because it's baked at such a low temperature, it holds together just fine and is the perfect soft and mild platform for the curd.
We haven't seen u in a while, and we're glad u r here.
I hope that Kendra knows loads of people who adore lemon. Because she has a ton of lemon bars.
Nobody has any business being this cute and clever.
Excellent, excellent episode.
Lemon lemons & more lemons
The Color is amazing
If its not Land O Lakes Lemon Butter Bars, I don’t want it. They’ve had the perfect, easy lemon bar recipe for 50 years. You don’t have to pre-cook the filling and they come out great every time.
That's just not fair really. Not molly. Not Brad. I am a fan. C'mon! Please keep her going! I am finally surprised by BA for the first time in a long time. Hats off. Wish I could've been a taste tester. BA!!
I can smell the faint smell of 9 to 5 office coffee in the sound engineering of this video. It's giving "no complaints".
Toast the flour to eliminate the paste notes and provide some toast notes
Lemon Bar = Best Bar
This reminded me of Alton browns science cooking show in the best way
Just checking If B.A. is dead....Yep it is.
"How did she get this job???!".... "I'm trying my best!"... That's what we were afraid of... :)
Loved the video - great info and presentation style!
Such an amazing effort.
I’m a number 4 through & through, always a raw mix (hand mixed though, not processor). But! I don’t use lemon juice, I use passionfruit juice instead. Far superior IMHO.
Dont know why the people leaving reviews on the recipe had trouble with this. Seems like they didnt put enough pressure into the crust when pressing it into the pan. Or they were too worried about mixing air into the filling and didnt mix it well enough.
I didnt have any issue with a floating crust or curdled eggs.
The funniest one was someone complaining about the number of eggs. Its a custard/curd. All custards use a lot of eggs. Thats how you get them to set.
I don't even like lemon bars but I had to watch this all the way 😅