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Ree Drummond is so picky about lemon bars, she developed a “go-to recipe” that’s the perfect combination of flavor and texture. Find out how to make The Pioneer Woman star’s dessert bar recipe.

Ree Drummond smiles wearing a multicolor top standing at a counter on the set of 'Today'
Ree Drummond | Tyler Essary/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

Ree Drummond has perfected her lemon bars recipe

Drummond took to The Pioneer Woman Facebook page to share her lemon bars recipe, noting how she’s a tough customer when it comes to the tart dessert.

“Here’s my go-to recipe for lemon bars! I am so picky about them — they need to be tart but not too tart, the crust needs to be substantial but not too thick, the powdered sugar needs to be abundant, the filling needs to be smooth,” she wrote. “But other than that, not picky at all! Hope you love these as much as I do!”

Drummond shared her tips for making lemon bars in a 2021 recipe blog post on The Pioneer Woman website.

“I love lemon bars, but they often fall by the wayside and get forgotten for months at a time in our house,” Drummond noted. “We’re much more of a chocolate chip cookie/chocolate pie/chocolate sheet cake/chocolate ice cream/chocolate potato chip/chocolate everything household, followed by fruit cobblers and crisps … so I sometimes have to remember to bring lemon bars back into the forefront from time to time.”

Absence makes the heart grow fonder when it comes to the lemony dessert. Drummond shared that when she makes lemon bars, “they always go over well” and “disappear within four minutes.”

‘The Pioneer Woman’ star said she’s ‘a little weird’ about the dessert

Drummond confessed that she’s very particular about the dessert. The Pioneer Woman star shared that she has an ideal lemon bar with a thicker crust so she developed her recipe with that in mind.

“I’m a little weird about lemon bars, in that I tend not to love them if they’re made mostly of lemon filling with a super thin crust at the bottom,” she explained.

Drummond added, “So these have a thicker cookie-like crust and a not-too-thick layer of filling; if you don’t already have a favorite lemon bar recipe, give these lemon desserts a try and see how you like ’em!”

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How to make Ree Drummond’s lemon bars recipe

Drummond demonstrated how to make her delicious potluck favorite dessert on an episode of The Pioneer Woman. “Everyone I know loves lemon bars. They’re slightly sweet, slightly tart.”

She made the dessert’s base by using a pastry cutter to cut cubes of butter into flour, sugar, and salt. Drummond pressed the crumbs firmly into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan and baked the crust in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes.

The Food Network star whisked together eggs, sugar, and flour until the mixture was smooth. Then she whisked in the juice and zest of five lemons and poured the filling over the cooled crust.

Drummond baked the dessert for 20 minutes, allowed it to cool, and placed it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Before cutting the lemon bars, she sifted powdered sugar over the top.

“Those lemon bars are always popular,” she said. “They’re gonna disappear [snaps fingers] like that. I’ve seen it happen before.”

The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.