Lemon bars are probably one of the best and most popular lemon-based desserts. But they are not that fast to make, so if you want to have them during your coffee or teatime during the week, it will take a long time to cook. So, in this article, we will teach you that you can freeze lemon bars to have them as a quick snack whenever you want.
The dessert, made of buttery shortbread crust, lemon filling and a zest lemon, can be tricky to freeze, but if you follow the steps bellow when making it, the lemon bars will always taste fresh even after the defrost process.
Since the dessert does not have a long shelf-life, even if kept in fridge away from the room temperature and oxygen, freezing it to consume later can be a great solution.
So, read bellow to find out how to freeze lemon bars.
How to freeze lemon bars
The process to freeze lemon bars is actually quite simples, the only thing you need to care is not to let them dry out, because the cold temperatures take the moist from the ingredients and meals, and the lemon bars are moist and delicate. Letting them dry out would make it lose the freshness.
Basically, wrap the lemon bars individually in a freezer-safe plastic bag, zip lock bag or any airtight compartment and store them in the freezer. Do not wrap or freeze them together or it will be hard to thaw the individual pieces later. And remember that after you defrost or thaw do not freeze it again, this process should be done only once.
If you made the lemon bars yourself, do not let the leftovers sitting around in room temperature and in contact with the oxygen for too long before freezing or they will dry out.
If you made the lemon bars exclusively to freeze, wait for them to cool down before packing and storing in the freezer.
Another thing you should consider before freezing is not to add sprinkling powdered sugar on to the bars. Powdered sugar do not freeze well and this step should only be done when you defrost or thaw the bars to consume them.
It is important to cut the lemon bars in equal sizes, so they can freeze and thaw equally, and do not let any parts of it exposed when wrapping. Write down the date you made and froze the bars before storing them, so you can keep track of the time and still eat your lemon bars while they still taste fresh.
Lemon bars shelf-life
By following the steps mentioned above, the frozen lemon bars will last for around 6 months. But, the longer you take to consume the more freshness they will lose and the more their taste will be different from the freshly made ones. The recommendation is to consume them in one or two months to have the lemon bars at their best taste, texture, and flavor.
Keep an eye on the bars to see if they are still good to be consumed. If you see any color, texture, and flavor changes, do not consume it to avoid food poisoning.
How to defrost or thaw lemon bars
Thawing the lemon bars is actually quite simple since there is no reheating process later, the lemon bars are usually consumed cold and chilled.
Take the bars you will consume from the freezer, unwrap them, put it on a plate and let it in the fridge until you see that they are softer and the ice crystals are completely gone.
You can sprinkle the powdered sugar after they are completely defrosted.
Remember that you should not freeze the lemon bars again. This process should only be done once to avoid them from going bad and that is why it is so important to freeze the bars separately and in smaller portions. You can consume the quantity you need without compromising the rest.
The pros and cons of freezing lemon bars
The cons
- If the thawing process is not made correctly, the lemon bars will be sticky. It is important to see the conditions they were frozen and unwrap them as soon as you take them for the freezer.
- The powdered sugar on top does not freeze well. So, if you have lemon bars leftover, be careful with that.
The pros
- Some of the ingredients from the lemon bar recipe will act like a conservative, like sugar and lemon, so the freezing process will be easier and life span of the bars will be even longer.
- The thawing process is extremely simple and does not require extra reheating steps. Only unwrapping the bars.
- The lemon bars barely lose their flavor and texture after being frozen. So, it will be perfect to serve to your guests since they will taste fresh all the time.
- By freezing the lemon bars, they will last for around 6 months, so you can plan ahead and leave them ready to be consumed for when you need it.
Conclusion
Lemon bars are the perfect dessert and snack for you and your guests. Its is very simple to make, but it can take up a lot of time in the process, so to make that easier you can freeze lemon bars that were previously made.
As mentioned in the article above, the lemon bars will last for around 6 months if frozen correctly, wrapped in its entirety and stored in individual packages. Another great factor that will contribute to the increase on the shelf-life is not adding the powdered sugar before freezing, instead, this step needs to be done after the lemon bars are completely defrosted.
In this article we brought the tips and details that are best recommended for freezing lemon bars. If you have any other suggestion you can reach out to us. Also, if the guide detailed here worked for you let us know. It is great to have feedbacks.
