Looking for the Perfect Tea-Time Dessert? These Lemon Date Bars Are It
To mark the moment, we’re sharing a sweet recipe that feels right at home with your London Fog design package - moody, tailored, and effortlessly timeless.
We all love a classic dessert. Simple. Familiar. The kind you reach for with a cup of something warm in hand. But what if that dessert felt like it belonged in a quiet corner café on a misty afternoon?
Meet the Lemon Date Bars - bright citrus layered with rich, caramel-like sweetness and a soft, buttery base. It’s the perfect balance of light and depth, crisp and cozy. A little dramatic. A little refined.
🍋 Lemon Date Bars
Crust
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces (plus more, room temp, for pan)
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar (plus more for dusting)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Filling
- 8 oz Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp coarse salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (about 4–5 lemons)
Instructions
1. Prep the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Butter the parchment.
- Whisk together flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt.
- Work in butter with your fingertips until mixture holds together when pinched.
- Press evenly into prepared pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake 20–25 minutes, until lightly golden.
2. Soak & Purée Dates
- Soak dates in boiling water for 15 minutes.
- Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
- Purée dates with about ½ cup reserved liquid (as needed) until smooth and spreadable.
- You should have about 1¼ cups of date paste.
3. Make the Filling
- Whisk together granulated sugar, flour, and salt.
- Whisk in eggs until smooth.
- Stir in lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
4. Layer & Bake
- Spread date paste evenly over the hot crust.
- Bake for 4 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Pour lemon filling over the date layer.
- Bake about 20 minutes, until just set.
5. Cool & Finish
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
- Run a knife around edges and lift out using parchment overhang.
- Cool completely.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into neat squares.
Recipe Credit: The queen of entertaining, Martha Stewart