I received a request for some healthier versions of these two treats from Kristen, whose husband “loves all thing lemon.” I hope he enjoys them Kristen!
Traditional lemon squares are loaded with butter, eggs and sugar, resulting in a high calorie, high fat treat. With a few easy changes I reduced the calories by nearly 50 percent and the fat by two-thirds! But don’t worry Kristen, they are still deliciously tangy and sweet, with a rich “buttery” crust – I have been using this recipe to make my lemon bars for years now – especially for holidays and special occasions, and I haven’t had any complaints yet!! As a matter of fact, they are normally one of the first desserts to “disappear” at all of our gatherings.
Just for reference, traditional lemon bars have 197 calories, 8 g total fat, and 5 g saturated fat. This version- for the same sized serving- has 66 calories, 2 g total fat, and less than 1 g saturated fat!!
1/4 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 eggs
scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
additional confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.
Beat the 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar and butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the 1/2 cup of pastry flour and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until just golden brown (about 10 to 12 minutes). Cool on a wire rack and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
While the oven temperature reduces, whisk the eggs on medium speed until foamy. Add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and return to the oven until “set” (about 20 to 25 minutes – do not touch the filling with your fingers or it will stick to them and you will have a big dent in your bars!) Cool completely on a wire rack, then cut into 12 squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
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Makes 12 servings (squares). Per Square: 66 calories, 2 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 14 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 6 g added sugar, 4 g protein, 46 mg sodium, 92 mg cholesterol.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Kristen // Sep 16, 2007 at 12:33 am
These look so yummy and alot better than half of the “gourmet” bakery ones I have seen. Thanks for the recipe – can’t wait to get into the kitchen and try it out. By the way the muffins were a success. Nice and smooth lemon with just the right sweetness. The hubby likes them!
2 Jessica // Sep 19, 2007 at 9:24 pm
I stumbled across this site the other day, and I am so excited about all of these healthier recipes! I recently started a diet and have lost about 10 lbs so far, and I’m glad I’ve found a way to still bake and indulge in some of my favorite sweets without all the calories. I made these lemon bars tonight and they are wonderful- if I hadn’t made them myself, I would have no idea they were low cal! Thanks for all of the great recipes!
3 Lisa // Sep 22, 2007 at 12:07 am
I just tried this recipe and I have to say that they tasted just as good as the full carlorie and fat version. They also had great texture. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you.
4 Rebecca // Sep 25, 2007 at 11:09 am
I made these last night and they were WAY GOOD! I will add these to my pile of recipes that I can feed to my full fat eating friends as well as my calorie conscience ones. The only thing is I did not get the same NI as you did. Do you use light butter? Other than that I don’t know what else could have made the difference. I got almost double what you did.
5 Andrea // Sep 26, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Have you tried any substitutions for the eggs in this recipe? Flax meal maybe? Or would it alter the outcome too much? By the way I love your recipes and that you always include the nutritional info. is very helpful.
Thank you.
6 Shannon // Sep 27, 2007 at 8:38 am
Andrea -
I actually did try both powdered egg replacer and flax replacer for the eggs (I try to add as little cholesterol and fat as possible), but unfortunately, unlike muffins, it made the texture much too “tough and chewy” for this particular recipe.
7 Sue // Oct 3, 2007 at 8:55 pm
wow, these were amazing as well.
but i have a couple of questions about this.
while making these lemon bars, mine came out completely different looking: the top was kind of foamy an the middle came out to be kind of a jumbled mess.
so i was wondering if it was absolutely necessary to completely cool the bottom part of the bars before pouring on the batter and returning to the oven; and if it affected the way it would look later on. also, i take it that your not supposed to really beat the eggs that much, right?
sorry for the long post. the lemon bars tasted really really good though =]
8 jennifer // Jan 19, 2008 at 10:41 pm
These were delicious, but my nutrition facts are quite a ways off from the ones you provided — I’m getting approximately 110 per square rather than 66. What ingredients are you using “light” versions of?
9 yeen // Jun 14, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I love all your recipes especially this!
Just wondering if it is ok to substitude Splenda or stuff like that for sugar.
Great work you’ve done and keep updating please! Thanks loads!
10 tasha // Jul 25, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I just made these squares and they are soooo yummy. I did add and change a couple things like adding spelt flour and ground flax to the base as well as using brown sugar and a little fresh orange juice in the filling. I didn’t have lemon zest so I used orange zest which worked well too. I am also going to try your Tsao’s chicken recipe tonight . Glad I found this site. Awesome ideas and yummy stuff.
11 Shellie // Jan 31, 2010 at 5:28 pm
WOW!
I love lemon bars and finding a recipe (I am a diabetic) that was actually OK for me to eat is amazing. These taste Wonderful! Exactly like a fully loaded Lemon Bar recipe! Thank you, Thank you. I will be using this recipe from now on!
12 denise // Mar 27, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I used Egg Beaters, and 1/2 sugar, 1/4 c. Splenda. No one ever knew!! You did not specify what size of dish to use.
13 Ashlie // Apr 3, 2010 at 6:02 pm
I used Splenda as a substitute (baking Splenda) and it worked out just fine. They tasted delicious. I have made these a couple times and had a request to make them for a party I am going to so that must be a good sign!!
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