Air Fryer or Oven Baked Small Batch Lemon Bar
Lemon Bars are a classic baked treat that are irresistible. There’s a buttery and flaky shortbread crust. The lemon filling bakes to a gooey texture. They are so irresistible that making a tray of these can be dangerous in our empty nest home. Making one serving in the oven works. Baking it in an Air Fryer worked beautifully! Now, I can satisfy my craving for a Lemon Bar, with minimal fuss.
Classic Lemon Bars are one of my favorite dessert bars! The buttery shortbread crust, and gooey filling is lemon heaven! Now that we’re empty nesters, and I’m trying to maintain a healthier weight, it would be dangerous for me to have a plate full of these with arm’s reach.
I’ve been focusing on recipes that are small batch or single serve. I’ve recently purchased America’s Test Kitchen Baking for Two and am compiling which recipes to bake. Kathleen’s Cravings has posted a LOT of single serve recipes. That’s where I found her Single Serve Lemon Bar recipe.
Kathleen’s version is baked in a conventional oven. Nice. Why not adapt the recipe for an Air Fryer?! Let’s do it!
For a single serving a ramekin or non-stick springform pan works perfectly. Grease with butter of Baker’s Joy Baking Spray. For the crust, you’ll need flour, sugar and melted butter.
Mix the crust ingredients until it has a sandy texture. You might have to add a little more flour, until it reaches that stage.
Press the mixture all along the bottom of the baking vessel. A wooden tamper works great for this.
The Air Fryer is heated to 350F and set to the BAKE cycle. 10 minutes seems like a starting point to AIR BAKE the crust. Just to be sure, I kept a close eye on it.
10 minutes was a good guess! The crust was perfectly AIR BAKED. Allow the crust to cool for a few minutes. In the meantime, make the Lemon Custard,
The filling ingredients are an egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour and sugar. Whisk is until smooth.
AIR BAKE for about 10 minutes. The custard should be firm and no longer jiggles in the middle. Be careful not to over bake.
Allow the Single Serve Lemon Bar to cool. Who am I kidding? I waiting about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the ramekin or springform pan and carefully remove. A dusting of powdered sugar is a final touch.
The anticipation to sink my teeth into this single serving had me drooling.
The filling is glossy and gooey. That is exactly the way it should be!
TASTING NOTES: Wow! Perfection. To be clear, a single serving doesn’t mean less calories. The buttery crust isn’t low-cal but it’s a delicious and decadent treat. The lemon filling is sweet and tart. This will be my go to recipe when I crave a Lemon Bar but want to control my portion.
Air Fryer Small Batch Lemon Bar (Single Serving)
Equipment
- Air Fryer optional; oven instruction are also provided
- 10 oz. Ramekin -OR-
- Wooden Tamper perfect for pressing crusts
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted; plus extra for greasing (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Lemon Custard Filling:
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar see note
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest loosely packed (about ½ a lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice see note
- 4 teaspoons all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease a large ramekin (see note for size) well with butter. (see notes for alternative baking vessels
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 350℉
Oven instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Make the crust:
- In a small bowl mix together the flour and powdered sugar. Mix in the melted butter until combined. It should have a wet sand like consistency. Press the shortbread into the bottom of the greased ramekin and press down into an even layer.
Air Fryer Baking Instructions:
- Bake the crust for about 8 minutes. NOTE: Keep a close eye on the crust. Depending on your air fryer, this can vary. The crust should be a light golden brown.Remove from the air fryer and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Oven Baking Instructions:
- Bake the crust for 12-14 minutes until just getting golden on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
For the Lemon Filling:
- Whisk the egg yolk and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Once the crust has cooled for a few minutes, pour the filling over the crust.
Air Fryer Baking Instructions:
- Air Bake the Lemon Bar for about 10 minutes until just set. The filling should be just set and not jiggle. Be careful not to over bake.
Oven Baking Instructions:
- Bake Lemon Bar – Bake for 17-22 minutes. The filling should be just set and not jiggle when you shake the ramekin. Be careful not to over bake, remove when it has just set up.
- Allow to cool. Either eat with a spoon or run a knife around the edge before removing from your baking vessel.Dust with powdered sugar (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
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