Bars + Brownies Summer Winter

Whole Meyer Lemon Bars with Toasted Meringue

whole meyer lemon meringue bars

I’ve been working hard the last few weeks on finishing up projects, working on posts for Breadin5, and helping my kids with distance learning (which seems like another full-time job). I haven’t had much time to bake from some of the beautiful cookbooks I received the last few months, but I finally was able to sneak in some time and made these beautiful meyer lemon meringue bars from Susan Spungen’s new cookbook Open Kitchen.

Susan’s book is about the “concept of ‘get-ahead cooking.’ Once you discover the joy of getting ahead, you will be come a planner even if you never were before…[c]ooking is how you learn to be a good cook. Just like everything else, cooking is a practice, so as you keep cooking you’ll find yourself getting more and more comfortable and better and better at it.” 

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A few things: 

*My friends over at Pure & Clear are now offering delivery for their unique ice and crystal clear ice. They also ship nationwide

*My friend Jess recorded this beautiful song over on Instagram. 

*I watched the new Emma movie and absolutely loved it. It was perfectly quirky and charming. It inspired me to also reread the novel. 

*I have been highly enjoying this Ella Fitzgerald cd. I also have this ‘chill Ella Fitzgerald mix‘ over on itunes. 

whole meyer lemon meringue bars
whole meyer lemon meringue bars
whole meyer lemon meringue bars

whole meyer lemon meringue bars

More Lemon Recipes:

whole meyer lemon meringue bars

Whole Meyer Lemon Bars with Toasted Meringue

Servings: 12 bars
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
The best parts of lemon meringue pie, made into bars! Uses a whole meyer lemon to enhance the citrus flavor.
Sarah Kieffer
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

Crust

  • 9 whole graham crackers 1 package, broken into pieces (or 1 1/2 cups [150 g])
  • 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
  • Large pinch of salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

  • 1 whole preferably organic Meyer lemon, scrubbed
  • Juice of 1/2 regular lemon 1 tablespoon
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 8 tablespoons [1 stick | 113 g] unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Meringue

  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line an 8 by 8 in [20 by 20 cm] baking pan with two pieces of parchment trimmed to fit, going in both directions, with some extra hanging over for easy removal of the bars later. 
  • Place the graham crackers, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until the fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and pulse until well blended. It should look and feel like wet sand. Transfer to the prepared pan and mix it up with your hands  to make sure the butter is well distributed. Press into the pan, going up the sides a bit, and bake for 10 minutes, or until just golden. Let cool while you make the filling.

For the filling:

  • Trim the stem end of the whole lemon (dispose of the end) and cut lemon into 8 pieces keeping the peel. Remove the seeds. Add pieces to a blender jar (preferably a high speed blender) along with the lemon juice, egg yolks, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt and blend until very smooth. Pour over the crust (it’s ok if it’s still warm) and bake for 30 minutes, or until it is bubbling and browning around the edges. It won’t look at all set, but it will set up as it cools. Place on a cooling rack.
  • After about 10 minutes, run a small, sharp knife around the edges. Cool completely, then chill until cold. When completely chilled, carefully remove the parchment and, using a spatula, transfer to a small baking sheet (you can do this just before adding the topping). 

For the meringue:

  • A few hours before serving, make the topping. Combine the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and salt in the metal bowl of a stand mixer and set over a pan of simmering water. Keep the mixture moving, using a whisk or the whisk attachment, until the sugar is completely melted and it’s hot to the touch (or 160F). Transfer to a stand mixer and beat on high speed until glossy and very stiff, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the top of the lemon bars, smooth out, and use a large serving fork to create a pattern in the meringue. 
  • When you’re ready to finish, use a kitchen torch to brown the meringue (you can use a broiler, too). Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 12 to 16 squares, depending on how large you want them. 

Notes

Recipe from the cookbook Open Kitchen by Susan Spungen by Susan Spungen.
  • Reply
    mg
    Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 11:43 am

    can you substitute regular lemon for the Meyer lemon ?

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 4:30 pm

      You can substitute a regular lemon, but note that Meyer lemons have less of a sour flavor (they are less acidic) and so this can affect the final outcome – it will be more tart.

  • Reply
    Judy
    Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 11:29 am

    Absolutely love this recipe. Had never made the topping with the egg whites before… almost like a marshmallow. Delicious! How do you measure the size/quantity of lemons? I got mine from a local farm in HI and I think they contained to much liquid. My filling went everywhere! Thanks judy

  • Reply
    Nancy
    Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 2:37 pm

    5 stars
    Oh I don’t need to see these. I just DON’T need to see these. Guess what I’m doing with my lemons tonight! LOL. I can say I’m going to LOVE these even before making, and I don’t normally post unless I’ve made something. Looks like a real winner.

  • Reply
    Lola
    Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 1:16 pm

    Hi Sarah, question…could I sub in an orange for the Meyer lemon? They are hard to find where I live. These bars look so tempting!!

  • Reply
    Angela
    Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 2:42 pm

    Can you do these a day ahead minus the meringue, and add meringue day of? or will they get soggy?

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 11:18 am

      You can make the bars a day ahead and the meringue the day of, just make sure to chill them. The crust may get a little soft the longer they sit, but they will still taste good.

  • Reply
    Shawna
    Monday, March 28, 2022 at 5:10 pm

    5 stars
    I just used the meringue from this recipe and OMG, I’ll never make meringue a different way. Absolutely amazing!

  • Reply
    Mike Capp
    Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 2:14 pm

    Question about For the Filling, step 2, the crust and lemon filling have cooled for 10 minutes, chill til cold and completely chilled…carefully remove parchment with a spatula. This is confusing to me, so we are to completely remove the parchment from entire bottom of crust? Is that correct?

    If making multiples, can the entire crust and filling be frozen until such time the meringue is added?

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      Yes, you’ll remove the parchment from the bottom of the crust. I have not tested freezing any part of this recipe.

  • Reply
    Layla
    Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 8:39 am

    Hi. Do you process the lemon with the peel.

    • Reply
      Sarah Kieffer
      Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 8:36 am

      Yes, with the peel!

  • Reply
    Catlin
    Monday, June 8, 2020 at 5:42 am

    Delicious recipe, i loved this recipe. I have been tried the same recipe in this blog.

  • Reply
    Mark
    Monday, April 27, 2020 at 1:54 pm

    I love how this recipe doesn’t leave you with extra yolks or extra whites. And the graham cracker crust is handy! It’s tough to find flour right now. Looks delicious!

  • Reply
    Bernice Baran
    Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 9:12 am

    These look amazing! LOVE LOVE LOVE anything with lemons!

  • Reply
    Abby
    Friday, April 17, 2020 at 9:50 am

    These bars look too delicious, Sarah, and your photos are gorgeous (as always). I hope you and your family are doing well, and I’m already so excited for your next cookbook. Sending you all much love!

5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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