Oatmeal Lemon Creme Bars
There are two camps in the world of desserts. Those of us who love lemon…the tangier the better, and those who don’t.
Where I live in a world where I can not imagine the zesty bite of citrus in my desserts, there are many (my children included) who are content to have lemons in their water, zested over pan-seared broccoli, but not in their sweets.
Since I am of Team Lemon Everything, this dessert was made for me. A recipe from the Hungry Fan’s Game Day Cookbook, by Dana Falk (my cookbook book club pick of the month), this was one of those desserts I took a small square of and then thought about all week. The thoughts I was thinking sounded like this…why didn’t I take a bigger piece?
Problem solved the following weekend, when I made a batch for myself. Now, disclaimer. I always use more zest than the recipe requires so this recipe has my zest measurement. I also packaged up 3/4ths of the final product so I could share immediately and not eat it all. (Here is where being my friend is a bonus).
I actually zested and squeezed the lemons the night before (I used at least four) and got those ingredients prepped and in the fridge – so this recipe came together fairly quickly and easily.
The crumbly layer forms both the bottom and top of the bar. The creme layer is mixed in one bowl and poured over the pre cooked layer, and then covered in more crumble and popped back in the oven.
If you find yourself embracing the lemons in life, instead of making lemonade…I highly suggest making these bars. They are superb. Find a few friends on Team Lemon and share them. Then you make someone else’s day brighter too.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always…thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Click on link below for a printable recipe.
PrintOatmeal Lemon Creme Bars
Crumbly lemon creme bars with a delicious oat mixture top and bottom. Zesty lemon creme filling meets the need for sweet and tangy. Everything a lemon dessert should deliver!
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 Teaspoon Corn Starch
- 1 1/4 Cups AP Flour
- 1 1/4 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt (recipe calls for sea salt- I used iodized)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 12 Tablespoons Butter, melted (recipe calls for unsalted I used salted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350* Prepare an 8×8 pan with butter.
- Whisk together oats, flour, salt, baking soda, white and brown sugars. Mix until no clumps remain.
- Stir vanilla extract into melted butter.
- Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients, stir until the mixture is moistened crumbs.
- Sprinkle half of crumble mixture into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake bottom layer for fifteen minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and corn starch until combined.
- Pour lemon filling over bottom layer and smooth into an even layer.
- Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture on top of the lemon layer.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least another hour, cut into squares, and serve.
Well, if a clementine gets past it’s freshness it gets hard and almost field hockey ball like. But guess what? That zest is perfect. I also just bought a masticating cold press juicer (who knew this was a thing? it is). Enter more use for citrus but not it’s peel. Aha! Zesting has become pretty regular and normal around my kitchen.