Lemon Cream Crumb Bars

Lemon cream crumb bars are creamy, tart, silky smooth lemon cream with a thick layer of a sweet oatmeal crust, and a thick sprinkle of crumble on top. This is for all the lemon lovers out there. Perfect summertime dessert recipe.

post updated & republished July 2018

These lemon cream crumb bars continue to be a favorite at our house. They are so easy to make and turn out perfect each time, which makes them the best thing to make for potlucks, gatherings, or dessert. 

Plus, they have sweetened condensed milk in them. I mean that basically guarantees that they will be amazing. That stuff is just amazing! Like if I could handle all the sweetness I could probably drink a can of it.

I always have to dip my finger in the can whenever I open it. You just have to, I can’t resist 🙂 

I originally posted these lemon cream crumb bars on Mother’s Day. I just knew they would be perfect for that day because the color yellow and lemon are favorites of my mom. 

 One of the best things about my own mother is that she always, and I do mean always as in we never went out to eat, had a hot meal ready for us to eat for dinner. One of her more “famous” dishes was creamed tuna. Do you know what that is? We still make fun of her for it and yet she still keeps making it. It’s basically a cream sauce (butter + flour) with a can of tuna mixed in and then you eat it over toast. I have not had it since I left the house, but I still think about it and wonder sometimes if I would like it now. I know I gave her a hard time, and probably refused to eat it, every time she made it but for some reason it’s still a special memory to me. 

I love these lemon bars because they are so bright with the added lemon juice and zest. Lemon desserts are one of my favorite things to make during the spring and summer.

The base is a crumbly oat crust and it’s topped with an easy to make lemon cream. Sprinkle the leftover crust on the top and then bake them. 

The trick is to let these cool completely and then put them in the fridge for 1 hour. This is not the dessert you want to make if you need it in a hurry. If I need them for that evening I will make these in the morning.

Once these bars have cooled completely and hung out in the fridge for an hour, they can be hand-held or serve them on a plate with a fork.

If you have leftover be sure and keep them in the fridge. The bars will soften up once left out at room temperature.

These are really good! The lemon flavor really shines through thanks to the fresh lemon juice & fresh lemon zest. It’s not tart at all. Combined with the sweetened condensed milk it is amazing and so creamy. 

Try these other lemon desserts

• {no bake} triple layer lemon pudding pie
• lemon lovers layered cake
• {no bake} lemon cheesecake cream pie

5 from 1 vote

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Lemon Cream Crumb Bars

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

22 mins

Total Time

32 mins

 

Lemon cream crumb bars are creamy, tart, silky smooth lemon cream with a thick layer of a sweet oatmeal crust, and a thick sprinkle of crumble on top. This is for all the lemon lovers out there. Perfect summertime dessert recipe.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dessert, lemon, lemon bars

Servings: 12 bars

Calories: 327 kcal

Author: Jessica - Together as Family

Ingredients

oat crumble

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

creamy lemon filling

• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large egg yolks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. For easy removal and cutting, line with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, rolled oats, sugar, brown sugar and baking soda until no clumps of sugar remain.

3. Add in melted butter and vanilla. Stir until evenly moistened.

4. Press half of the crumb mixture (set aside the other half) into the bottom of the baking dish and gently press down. Bake for 12 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and set aside to let cool slightly while you make the lemon cream filling. 

6. To make the lemon cream combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Pour over the cooked crust and smooth out. Sprinkle the reserved oat crumble on top and gently press down gently. 

7. Bake for 22-25 minutes. The middle will still look pale and loose but the edges should be golden brown. Let cool completely. 

   Once cooled, cover and put in fridge for 1 hour or you can eat right away. Cut into bars and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge. As these bars sit out at room temperature they do become softer (mainly the filling).

Recipe Notes

You could probably use quick oats or the regular old-fashioned oats called for in the recipe. I always have both on hand but if you only have one, then they can be interchanged easily. Quick oats are a finer texture while whole oats are bigger in size and provide more texture to the bars. 

 

12 tablespoons = 1 stick + 1/2 stick

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