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CONDENSED MILK LEMON BARS WITH CRUST.

Condensed milk lemon bars made with a can of sweetened condensed milk and cracker crust.

If you are looking for an easy sweet dish to serve after meals, these tangy lemon dessert bars will not disappoint you.

This heavenly condensed milk dessert is made with a few key ingredients.

They are,

  • Graham crackers(Maliban crackers)
  • Sugar
  • A little melted butter
  • Condensed milk
  • Egg yolks
  • Lemon juice.

As you can see it only takes 5 ingredients to make these lemon squares.

lemon bars with a biscuit crust placed on a baking paper.

recipes with sweetened condensed milk.

One of the reasons I love recipes with condensed milk is that they are quick to make and need fewer ingredients.

And these creamy and luscious lemon squares are a perfect example of how easy they are to make with a can of sweetened condensed milk.

You can serve them as small bite-sized desserts at your dinner parties, birthdays, and family gatherings.

Pack them for your picnics in your cooler so they stay slightly cold.

lemon bars with a crust placed on a baking paper.
  • Avoid using artificial lemon essence as fresh lemon juice gives you the best results. If you bought lemons in bulk simply freeze the extra juice.
  • Your graham cracker crust will hold the filling so make sure the crust is done well. By this I mean take your time and do not rush the process.
  • Once the lemon squares are done, let them cool, refrigerate to chill and cut into them.

8″ square baking pan

Baking paper(parchment paper)

Medium-sized bowl

Spatula

Lemon brownie(lemon blondies).

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Condensed milk caramel pudding

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Condensed milk fudge(milk toffee).

Condensed milk no-bake biscuit cake

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-EASY

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

1 and 1/2 cups of graham crackers(Maliban crackers, this would be about 24 crackers)

5 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of fine sugar(if the sugar grains are large just blitz them to turn them fine)

3 large eggs

A small can of condensed milk(390g)

1/2 a cup of lemon juice(3-4 lemons)

line an 8″ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites(here are 4 easy ways to separate egg yolk). Set aside.

Crush the graham crackers(you can use Maliban crackers) as much as you can. You would need to crush the biscuits until they turn crumbly.

You can crush the crackers in 2 ways.

  • Use the food processor to crumble the crackers finely.
  • Place the crackers in a zip-lock bag and use a mortar to crush it. I chose this method hence the coarse crumb and not a fine one.

Transfer the crumbs to a bowl.

crushed graham cracker to make the lemon bars

Add the fine sugar(1/4 cup), and melt the butter(5 tbsp) in a bowl using your microwave(10-12 seconds should do).

Pour into the graham cracker and sugar mixture.

adding the butter to the crushed graham cracker to make the lemon bar crust.

Combine the sugar and butter well into the crumb. You should get a slightly wet(not too wet) crumb mix that will stick to your hand.

If you find the mix too dry simply melt a tablespoon of butter and add it to the cracker mix and combine.

crushed graham cracker ready to be made into a crust to make the lemon bars.

Preheat the oven to 180C before following the next step.

While the oven preheats, transfer the crumb mix to the baking pan.

Spread the cracker mix evenly and then press down to create an even crust. Make sure to slightly raise the edges of the crust on all four sides. A little over a centimetre on all sides.

This will help to hold the lemon filling and make it easy to handle the lemon slab once it’s baked.

packed graham cracker ready to be baked to make the lemon bars.

Bake the graham cracker crust between 8-10 minutes. After 8 minutes, check if the crust is done remove it from the oven, or continue for another 2 minutes.

Once the graham cracker crust is done, let it completely cool for 15-20 minutes.

baked graham cracker crust to make the lemon bars.

Pour the condensed milk(400g) into a bowl.

condensed milk poured into a bowl.

Mix the egg yolks(3) into the condensed milk thoroughly and add the lemon juice(1/2 a cup).

adding egg yolk to condensed milk to make the lemon bars.

Whisk in all the ingredients until you have a thick lemon filling.

Avoid whisking vigorously, this should take you less than 2 minutes.

whisking gently to make the lemon filling for the lemon bars.

Check if the graham cracker is cool and pour in the lemon filling. Use a spatula to spread it evenly.

The filling should not overflow the cracker crust(this will not happen if you raise all the sides of the crust as mentioned above).

lemon filling poured into a crust and ready to bake.

Bake the condensed milk lemon bars at 160C for 17 minutes.

Check on the 12-minute mark. If the filling is firm remove it from the oven or continue to bake for 17 minutes until firm.

Once baked remove it from the oven, let it cool down for 20 minutes, and then refrigerate for an hour.

Once chilled, you can easily cut them into the required size.

slices of lemon bars on top of each other and placed on a black plate

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bars of lemon made with condensed milk

Condensed milk lemon bars with a crust.

Yield: 18
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Condensed milk lemon bars made with a can of sweetened condensed milk and cracker crust.

If you are looking to for an easy sweet dish to serve after meals then this quick tangy condensed milk dessert will not disappoint you.

Ingredients

  • For the crust
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of graham crackers(Maliban crackers, this would be about 24 crackers)
  • 5 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/4 cups of fine sugar(if the sugar grains are large just blitz them to turn them fine)
  • For the lemon filling
  • 3 large eggs
  • A small can of condensed milk(390g)
  • 1/2 a cup of lemon juice(3-4 lemons)

Instructions

Prep work before making the lemon bars with a crust

line an 8″ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites(here are 4 easy ways to separate egg yolk). Set aside.

How to make the graham cracker crust for the condensed milk lemon bars

Crush the graham crackers(you can use Maliban crackers) as much as you can. You would need to crush the biscuits until they turn crumbly.

You can crush the crackers in 2 ways.

  • Use the food processor to crumble the crackers finely.
  • Place the crackers in a zip-lock bag and use a mortar to crush it. I chose this method hence the coarse crumb and not a fine one.

Transfer the crumbs to a bowl.

Add the fine sugar(1/4 cup), melt the butter(5 tbsp) in a bowl using your microwave(10-12 seconds should do).

Pour into the graham cracker and sugar mixture.

Combine the sugar and butter well into the crumb. You should get a slightly wet(not too wet) crumb mix that will stick to your hand.

If you find the mix too dry simply melt a tablespoon of butter and add it to the cracker mix and combine.

Preheat the oven to 180C before following the next step.

While the oven preheats, transfer the crumb mix to the baking pan.

Spread the cracker mix evenly and then press down to create an even crust. Make sure to slightly raise the edges of the crust on all four sides. A little over a centimetre on all sides.

This will help to hold the lemon filling and makes it easy to handle the lemon slab once it’s baked.

Bake the graham cracker crust between 8-10 minutes. After 8 minutes, check if the crust is done remove it from the oven, or continue for another 2 minutes.

Once the graham cracker crust is done, let it completely cool for 15-20 minutes.

How to make the lemon condensed milk filling.

Pour the condensed milk(400g) into a bowl.

Mix the egg yolks(3) into the condensed milk thoroughly and add the lemon juice(1/2 a cup).

Whisk in all the ingredients until you have a thick lemon filling. Avoid whisking vigorously, this should take you less than 2 minutes.

Check if the graham cracker is cool and then pour in the lemon filling. Use a spatula to spread it evenly.

The filling should not overflow the cracker crust(this will not happen if you raised all the sides of the crust as mentioned above).

Bake the condensed milk lemon bars at 160C for 17 minutes.

Check on the 12-minute mark. If the filling is firm remove it from the oven or continue to bake for 17 minutes.

Once baked remove it from the oven, let it cool down for 20 minutes, and then refrigerate for an hour.

Once chilled, you can easily cut them into the required size.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 62Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 44mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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Carol

Thursday 30th of March 2023

I have not seen this recipe since I was a child. Thank you for posting this. It brings back memories of hanging out with my mom after school in the kitchen.

jehan

Saturday 1st of April 2023

Hi Carol, you are most welcome, glad I could bring you back some lovely memories. regards j

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