Take The Effort Out Of Lemon Bars With One Brilliant Ingredient

Lemon bars are a tangy, bright, citrusy treat all year round,. However, traditionally speaking, they're fairly complex to make. The cake base needs to be mixed and baked first, followed by a lemony custard layer a few minutes later. The custard is composed of egg yolks, sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, and melted butter in perfect ratios and at the right temperature — otherwise, you end up with a curdled eggy mess after baking.

Fortunately, lemon-lovers have added to the list of genius hacks for using up sweetened condensed milk with a deliciously simplified lemon bar custard swap that's arguably even tastier than the traditional kind. Rather than keeping two kinds of sugar on hand for the custard and wondering whether to measure your ingredients by weight or by volume, you can simply blend together one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk for every two egg yolks you plan to use, along with about ¼ cup of lemon juice and ½ tablespoon or so of zest. (Don't skimp on the zest, as that's where the strongest lemony flavor is hiding.)

Though the addition of raw eggs means this custard still needs to be baked, there are far fewer ingredients that come together much faster with a lot less guesswork than a traditional lemon bar recipe. If you like, you can also build a simplified crust with graham cracker crumbs and butter, a quick shortbread recipe, or even canned biscuit dough to make the whole dessert less complicated.

Other than the convenience of using fewer ingredients and a reduced possibility of mistakes, the biggest difference between this method and traditional lemon bars is that you can't adjust the sweetness level. Though classic lemon bars require certain ratios of ingredients, you can reduce the sugar slightly without ruining the texture or flavor. However, sweetened condensed milk basically consists of sugar and fat already creamed together. Reducing how much you use could give your lemon bars an unpleasant texture.

Fortunately, this is fairly easy to fix with a few other pantry staples. Vanilla extract will make sweetened condensed milk's sweetness softer and less sugary, pushing it into the background and allowing the lemon to shine. If you just can't get enough of that tart brightness, you could also add a few drops of lemon extract, which should be tart enough to overshadow the sugar in the sweetened condensed milk. A light sprinkle of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, a touch of ginger, or a dash of all three will also help highlight the citrus aspect of the dessert, softening the sweetness considerably.

Though delicious on their own, these lemon bars are also perfect for pairing with other treats to create a more luxe, sophisticated dessert for a special gathering (or just for you). Snag an extra can of sweetened condensed milk to make easy three-ingredient ice cream, or warm up a little fruit jam (strawberry, blueberry, and peach are delicious) with the addition of fresh fruit to make a tasty compote.