Lemon-Ricotta Bars

Good recipe but why is there no grams I hate using measuring cups. Gram scale is so much easier

I made these for a gathering with friends. OMG, they are THE BEST lemon bars ever! Not too sweet, tart and very lemony! They received raves!

I made the crust according to directions, and it came out too hard and thick, not at all in keeping with the delicate lemon-ricotta filling. Next time I will eliminate a 1/2 cup of flour from the dough ingredients. I think this will make the crust more crumbly, and it will be a smaller amount so that the crust will not be as thick. The filling is to die for with Meyer lemons, but also really good with regular lemons. The second time I made the recipe, I used 10 oz. ricotta and an extra egg, kept everything else the same, to make the filling just a little higher.

I would like to make this recipe and have seen in some lemon ricotta cakes the use of lemoncello. If I reduce the amount of lemon juice and add lemoncello, will the recipe still taste ok?

I made these for the first time last night. We had shrimp and grits for dinner and I needed a light dessert. I was wonderful, great flavor. I only negative comment I got was that the crust was hard...everyone ate it but it was a little hard to put a fork through. Did I make it too thick? I used the size pan suggested. Then I thought, perhaps, it was meant to be cookie like. Your comments would be appreciated. Thank you

These are amazing, so good and so easy. The ricotta adds a softening and fluffing to a traditional lemon bar and cuts the cloying sweetness without too much interference. These do start sweet but end with a fantastic pure lemon intense tang. Please, don't think of it as a crust as in pie. Instead think of it as a cookie as in shortbread. I was shocked at no ice water until I realized this. Upon first pulsing it looked dry (I was wrongly thinking to leave butter chunks like with pie dough.) With a second spin in the food processor, the butter became integrated and it formed the cornmeal colored sand as described. Then just sprinkle in and press in pan. Oops, I forgot to press up sides so I baked the crust 5 minutes longer. No matter, it came out fine with the curd on top. I'd chill it a bit to set. In summer here in hot weather it needed it or too soft and messy. So great. Will make again and again. This will feed a lot because it is so rich. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and dried, in order to get a clean cut.

I will have to try this recipe. I made a Lemon & Riccota Cake and loved it! My experience with the cake is on vittlesandvinos.com

Well...I am thinking my butter was too soft, because my dough was not crumbly, it was ploppy and as I poured my filling in after the prebake, the entire crust came up, so goodness knows what headed our way. Likely something tasty, but not for company. These are often my son's favorite desserts :( Any other clue as to this perplexing occurrence? I was so excited to try these; my traditional lemon squares are devine. :( Thx.

Absolutely amazing!! I myself am a fussy dessert eater as I don't like to eat anything that tastes like a mouthful of sugar. This recipe did not disappointment. After reading all the comments I embarked on making this yesterday & I honestly was still eating it up until I went to bed. Since finding fresh ricotta is nearly impossible to find in my area I followed advice to drain store bought ricotta (actually overnight) & was glad I did as allot of liquid drained. At first I was concerned about using powered sugar in the crust but I followed the recipe exactly as written (I did double the filling) & there is nothing I would change, it came out absolutely wonderful. There was just enough tartness in the filling to satisfy a sweet tooth without causing a sugar-rush !!
Using the parchment made removal from the pan so easy and kept the crust very crisp. I only encountered one glitch & that was in making the dough. My food processor, which required a replacement blade (we all know which brand I am talking about), caused me concern when processing the dough it would not mix properly. After dumping the unprocessed dough into another bowl and using a "hand" pastry cutter I was able to achieve good results (but I did add a few drops of ice water). This I think was a mistake as even the few drops made it less crumbly & difficult to work with. I stressed through the process thinking the crust would be soggy, it was NOT. Next time I will simply use the old fashion by hand method. I do believe the replacement blade I received isn't a proper fit as too much butter got stuck underneath the blade and I've used food processors since invented. If anyone has had the same experience let the manufacturer know as I did via email.
Thank you for this great recipe, as I mentioned "I would not change a thing". It is a WINNER. Food52 is my go-to-site for recipes and everything kitchen/home.

Can you freeze these?

Luscious! And so light with the ricotta. I used gluten free all purpose mix in place of 1c. flour in crust with 3/4c. toasted ground walnuts which worked beautifully! Also used the gluten free mix in the filling, along with tons more lime zest & juice than lemon. A keeper! Thank you Kukla for kick starting our summer!

Amazing recipe!! I made it about 3 weeks ago and I'm going to make it again, maybe with a bit more lemon zest, to give it an extra edge

I made these, they're so delicious! My husband and I were going to share them, but ended up eating them all ourselves. I'm too ashamed to admit the timeframe for that...but it didn't take us long.

These are divine! Since Meyer lemons are ripe for picking here in Houston in January, used a 50-50 mix of standards and Meyer, which worked very well.

Taste was awesome. Next time, I'll cut down sugar (was a tad too sweet) and add baking time for both the crust and the curd.

my friend and i made these this afternoon and they were PERFECT. yum! thank you :)

Made these for Easter, huge hit! Creamy, lemony, everything you want after a Easter dinner. Will be making again!

Absolutely lovely recipe! I used key limes instead of lemons - wowzers! Amazing! I have a deep high sided pan so I ended up doubling just the filling part of the recipe and it was perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe!

Can you use silicone sheets instead of parchment paper?

the ricotta in these really contributes to the amazing texture. i had more filling than could fit in the pan over the prepared crust so i filled a ramekin and ended up having almost a lemon soufflé which lasted no longer than 10 minutes out of the hot oven. trust be told, i almost liked the filling by itself, without the extra calories but both were delightful, flavorful and will be made again and again, as lemons permit.

Truly lovely recipe - easy to follow, and everyone loved the lemon bars! I used Meyer lemons; since they're naturally sweeter I reduced the sugar in the filling. The ricotta really rounded out the tang of the citrus for a nice smooth flavor. Making this one again!

I'll be using this recipe again. I'll be having another little bar tomorrow afternoon with some coffee.

Hey Nancy! Thanks a lot for your kind comment! I am so glad you made and enjoyed my recipe!
I do refrigerate the leftovers, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

I made these last night as directed, they were amazing! My question is do you refrigerate leftovers or can they be left out? I was worried about crust when I put into pan because it was very floury but it cooked up beautifully. I did not have quite have enough lemons to make enough zest for both crust and filling but it was plenty lemonyfor me. Love the twist on typical lemon bars. It's a keeper.

Can I substitute prepared lemon curd? If so, please tell me what I should cut out of this
Thank you

great recipe! made these this weekend to rave reviews! Loved the ricotta cheese addition! :)

Followed recipe exactly. A big hit! Good texture, great flavor-- mixture of tart and sweet.

Disappointing: these were more time-consuming than I expected. The crust was pleasant, but a bit tough and hard. The filling was floury and not as lemony as I expected. I would recommend grating the lemon finely and reducing (or eliminating?) the flour in the filling, and consider using a smaller pan for a better filling-to-crust ratio.

Not my smartest idea to use blood oranges because the colour turned out a bit weird. Sure tasted great though! Love the richness added by ricotta. Add a heart stencil and plenty of icing sugar and I have Valentine's Day treat all sorted out!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wscwong/12459307053/

Hi Kukla! This is the first time making these bars and the flavors are great! Just a question on the height and texture though, mine were quite flat and not very smooth even though I wisked

If they used reduced or fat free and it turned out well, the recipe would be touted as a fat free recipe. The questions that are asked drive me insane - just because someone posts a recipe does not mean they are expert at all the ideas you may have for substitutions. If you are not a good enough cook to know ahead of time if something will work, dont try it. Or try it and let us all know of the mess you made when you cut out the butter, used non dairy spread, fat free something or other, or added applesauce.

Would this work with ricotta that wasn't full fat? Would I add more ricotta for a lower fat ricotta? I really want to make this but only seem to find %ricotta

You are very welcome cookycat! Enjoy with your friends!

I don't understand the placement of the parchment paper in the pan. Should it stick up the sides of the pan so the bars can be lifted out by the paper to the cutting board?

Thanks Denise for a lovely comment!

These were super yummy. My sister and I are going to make these for our moms birthday and are going to make individual servings. With cherry filling on top.

Just delicious.

Just made these and they didn't turn out as pictured. the flavors are delicious but they are not light and fluffy. Will try again and repost.

angela,i am not intending to be unfriendly, but for an american to give you the recipe in your measurements - would take just as much time as for you to do the same. you have the capability on your computer to access ounce to gram conversion tables etc. Just google "ounces and grams"; that's what i do when i find a european recipe i want to try!

Thanks but in England our measurements are ounces or grams! I have just found my measuring cups but to have the ingredients in ounces or grams would be a lot easier!

Just made these using gluten free flour! I would reduce baking in the end to about 27 mins for gf, at least in my oven. They were so good my small group swooped up the remaining squares and ran home with them! A definite new staple in our home!

Help! Could anyone give me the ingredients in English measurements? I can't wait to make them this week-end!!!

I just made these and brought them into work... we all love them! Easy to make and soooo tasty!

These keep very well. I put our leftovers in the freezer and then forgot them. When I remembered to bring them out to share another time with the family, they were perfect! Once they thawed they were just like they were freshly made. In fact, when I rediscovered them I ate one frozen to test it. Mmmm, nice cool snack!

Do these keep well? If so, how should they be stored?

Thank you so very much Mindy for helping Kekirkpatz!!
I tried to copy the recipe and email it, but her or his profile doesn’t have the “Send me a message” sign.

I would really like to make these, but the amounts are missing. Is there a way I can get the recipe sent to me or can you re-post the amounts? Thanks!

Yummmmm, can't wait to make these. One question please. What is the best way to drain the ricotta and how do I know when enough liquid has been eliminated? Thanks for your help. I have all the ingredients, but will wait for your answer.

We made these bars for Thanksgiving, and truth be told, we forgot to put them out on the dessert table with the other dozen! It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because when I discovered them this morning, they were the perfect surprise! They are lemony, the shortbread is perfect, and they serve a multitude! Thanks for a wonderful recipe I will be making for the Channukah and Christmas festivities!

Thank you to all of you who responded to me when I couldn't find the amounts. Once I did, I made these wonderful Ricotta Lemon Bars. They are wonderful; very lemony and smooth. Definitely a keeper recipe.

FYI- I was able to get the measurements to show when I clicked the 'print' icon at the top of the page (just above the picture)

I also do not have the ingredient amounts listed. Can someone help me? Thank you.

Thanks a lot Emily for helping teamom and your kind words about the recipe!! I did not check my emails until now.

Hello all, I've just found this recipe and would like to make it, but no amounts of the ingredients show on my screen (except for butter, lemons, and I can figure out the ricotta). Only bullets show in front of the ingredient. Could you send the recipe to me please? Thanks in advance.

Made these last night. I'm sure they would have tasted even better if I had all the proper tools, but since I'm moving and only had one size measuring cup, I'm impressed at how much of a hit these were! I love how lemon-y they are. Not for the faint of heart!

Will these be as good with store-purchased ricotta? I do make my own ricotta but I have to bake a large quantity of lemon bars for a fundraiser & time spent is a concern. Live in an area where home-style is not available in the stores. Thanks -- I'm anxious to try these.

Made these over the weekend for a reception following my daughter's baptism, and they were just perfect. This is definitely my new go-to recipe for lemon bars. Although I prefer them at room temperature, they're delicious chilled and keep nicely for several days.

I made these last week using fresh goat's milk ricotta from the farmers market. They were OUTRAGEOUS! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.

I just made these gems with ricotta I made yesterday. Packed with lemon flavor! I too was a little skeptical about the crust but it turned out tender and melts in your mouth, just like Kukla described! Recipe is a keeper, especially for those that love making their own ricotta cheese.

These lemon bars were almost too good to be true! The bars were creamy and rich with a healthy dose of lemon (the addition of zest to the crust is key!) and the color was so ethereal and intriguing -- I couldn't wait for the 2 hour chill time to try a bite. Thank you.

Thank you Ann for such thrilling comment! I just want to say that even a tart pan with a removable bottom is possible to line with parchment paper, and this step would help you to get the tarts very easily out. I understand that you wanted to have the fluted edges, which buttered parchment paper would provide also. Try it next time. Thanks.

These are fabulous! I needed lemon tarts for a tea and really liked the idea of adding ricotta to the filling. I used the dough in rectangular tart pans (3) and doubled the filling recipe. They took about an extra 15 minutes to cook with the extra filling but the wiggle- jiggle test helped. The corn starch in the crust made the crust light and more tender than my traditional recipe. I had a little problem getting the tart pan to release but a narrow knife around the edge helped. The filling was amazing - not sure if the added fat of the ricotta took the edge off the lemon tang, but the filling seemed to burst with intense lemon flavor without making us pucker. Thanks for sharing! Definitely a keeper!

These look delicious - I can't wait to try them.

These sound wonderful. I make lemon squares, but the ricotta is a fabulous addition. they look so tender.

Hi Kukla, i'm new to 52 but you seem like a very successful and creative 52'er, given that i've marked alot of your recipes aready! these sound lovely creamy and i am going to try them for sure. I've been working on non-white flour pastries as of late, and i'm thinking i might try them in a gingersnap crust w/ candied ginger , or a whole wheat wheat germ crust w/ pecans (i have a thing for lemon and pecans). what do you think of those ideas? thnx much for this!

Congrats Kukla! I can't wait to make these!

Many congrats on the CP!!! These are on my list to try very soon!!

Love this recipe and plan to try it soon!! Congratulations on these well-deserved honors. ;o)

Congrats on the CP -- these look and sound delicious! Saved!

Yum! Saved.

Great balance!

These sound fabulous! Saved!