Raspberry Lemon Bars (Lightened Up Lemon Bar Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

Can you rebake undercooked lemon bars? ›

Undercooked lemon bars can be rebaked by placing them back in the oven for about five minutes. Be sure to watch them closely, as they can quickly become overcooked. If you are using a lemon bar recipe that doesn't call for olive oil, you can try substituting it with olive oil to give your lemon bars a boost of flavor.

Underbaking: This is the most common reason for gooey lemon bars. The filling needs enough time to set, which can be tricky since oven temperatures can vary and the visual cues for doneness are subtle. Solution: Bake the bars until the filling is just set and no longer wobbles when you gently shake the pan.

Lemon bars should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated in order to prevent bacterial growth or foodborne illness. The filling in lemon bars is made with eggs and can become a breeding ground for bacteria if it's kept in the danger zone (between 41 and 153 degrees F).

Don't Over-Bake.

If you leave them in the oven too long, it can cause your bars to crack.

If the cake is still hot or warm, you can return it to the oven to bake it until it's done. Once an underbaked cake has cooled, you cannot salvage it as a proper cake. However, you can bake it and then use it for other purposes, such as cake crumbles to sprinkle over ice cream or smoothies.

Re-baking will give us hard, brick-like cookies and bars. The other concern is the eggs. If the bars are so underbaked that the eggs are still raw, it's probably not a good idea to eat or even try to re-bake them if the bars have been sitting out for very long.

Remove your lemon bars from the oven before they turn brown on top. Browning means they're over-cooked, and the custard mixture can curdle.

Seeing a thin whitish foamy layer of air bubbles on top of your baked lemon bars is completely normal. It is the air bubbles created from whisking the eggs rising to the surface during baking. Lemon bars taste the same with or without that layer and a dusting of icing sugar covers it right up!

The thin, crackly, sugar crust that forms on top when these lemon bars bake is one of my favorite things! It is just a result of some of the sugar rising to the top and hardening during the baking process.

Dusting the knife with powdered sugar before cutting lemon bars can help to reduce sticking and create cleaner cuts. However, this is optional and depends on personal preference. If you prefer a more polished appearance on the bars, you can lightly dust the knife before each cut.

How do you reheat lemon bars? ›

Reheating: Place the baking dish in the center of the oven's rack. Heat the lemon bars for about 10-15 minutes, checking periodically. The bars are adequately reheated when they feel warm to the touch.

Let your lemon bars cool completely. You can eat these while they are still a bit warm, but I like them best cold from the fridge. That's where you want to store them, too. They will stay fresh for a few days if they last that long.

Can you rebake undercooked lemon bars? Results may vary, but it's worth a shot! Throw them back in the oven at the original temperature and rotate every 5 minutes until it appears done.

Set a timer for 5 minutes after pulling the crust from the oven to ensure it doesn't cool too much—if the shortbread is allowed to reach room temperature, the uncooked lemon curd will slip off the top and pool in the bottom of the dish, turning your lemon bars upside down (sounds bananas until it happens to you!).

If your lemon bars have a strong eggy taste/smell, it's likely due to the lemon curd being overbaked. Be sure to take the lemon bars out of the oven as soon as they're done. Your oven may also be running a little hot.

When cookies turn out underbaked, they can still be salvaged. Quickly return them to the oven if they're fresh, or reheat at a lower temperature if they've cooled. For cookies too soft to crisp, repurpose them in desserts like parfaits or trifles.

If it is underbaked, re cooking will not solve the problem. If it is baked and just wet from the alcohol, place the plug back in the hole and leave it open for 20 minutes before covering. Try also your local supermarkets, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose.