Sweet and salty custardy Atlantic beach lemon bars with Italian meringue and a salty sweet saltine crust.
Ever since I saw Bill Smith’s Atlantic Beach Pie on the Food52 Pie Countdown, I’ve been obsessed. The buttery saltine crust against the tart sweetened condensed filling is all I could ever want. But pies aren’t really a social distance friendly dessert, so I’ve turned the cult classic into safely shareable lemon bars.
Lemon Bar Ingredients:
The ingredients for those bars are pretty simple, but here are some tips:
Eggs: The yolks go in the lemon custard, but be sure to save the whites for the meringue topping.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: While it’s not the most traditional, it makes custard super simple and keeps the bars nice and creamy.
Saltines: Be sure to pulse them into small, small pieces because the larger the crumb, the more likely that they’ll stick to the bottom of the pan.
Lemon Juice: I freshly squeeze mine from 3 lemons but packaged lemon juice is also okay, just be sure to not buy lemonade.
The Process:
Making a saltine crust is similar to making a graham cracker crust. I like to beat my saltines in a large Ziploc bag with a rolling pin, but this process can also be done in a food processor. Make sure they’re in super small crumbs because the larger the crumb, the more likely that they won’t bind together
Add the softenedish meltish butter in and mix until large clumps form.
Press them into a pan lined with parchment and bake for 12-15 minutes until just golden. Let the crust cool to room temp, it’s okay to pop it in the fridge. That’s the crust, it’s that simple.
While the crust chills, make the lemon custard. Whisk the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk thoroughly and then add the lemon juice and stabilizers. Gluten free flour should work in this recipe for all my GF bakers!
Pour into the pan and bake for 12-15 minutes again until there is little to no jiggle in the center of the custard.
I know it’s hard, but these bars have to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. They won’t set up otherwise and you’ll be left with a sticky sweet mess.
While the bars set, make the italian meringue
Check out this post to whip it up.
Pipe dollops or swirls of meringue onto all the bars and give them a quick torching with a blowtorch. If you don’t have a blowtorch, stick them into a 200 F oven for 3ish minutes until the tops turn brown. (Keep an eye on them because meringue can have a mind of its own).
And boom, you just made patisserie looking Atlantic beach lemon bars with Italian meringue in just a few steps! They are sure to impress and are so buttery, tart, and overall incredible!
Untested Swaps and Customizations:
Out of lemons? Swap the lemon juice in this recipe for key lime juice. They’ll taste like mini key lime pies!
Not ready to try meringue? Go for whipped cream or powdered sugar instead.
No saltines? Any cracker or cookie base should work in this crust, you just might have to change up the amount of butter.
Print
Atlantic Beach Lemon Bars with Italian Meringue
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2.5 hours
- Yield: 9 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet and salty custardy lemon bars with a salty sweet saltine crust and a shiny Italian meringue.
Ingredients
- 1 sleeve saltines
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 batch Italian meringue (link below)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350º F and line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Place the saltines in a large plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin until a chunky crumb forms. Combine in a bowl with butter and sugar and mix with your hands until large clumps form.
- Pat the saltine crust into your pan and press it down evenly with the back of a measuring cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool to room temperature.
- While crust cools, whisk the sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks together. Add the lemon juice, baking powder, and flour and whisk thoroughly until no white streaks remain.
- Pour the lemon custard into your pan and bake for another 12-15 minute until there is little to no jiggle in the middle. Let chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Slice bars into 9 squares and place prepared Italian meringue into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe squiggles of Italian meringue onto each bar and torch with a kitchen torch until the tops are golden brown. (These bars will still be delicious un torched).
- Share and enjoy!
Keywords: atlantic beach pie, lemon bars
Love lemons? Try my Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake:
https://dishingwithdelaney.com/cake/lemon-blueberry-pound-cake/
Recipe Inspiration:
https://food52.com/recipes/29939-bill-smith-s-atlantic-beach-pie
[…] Sweetened Condensed Milk: If you have extra leftover, try making these Lemon Bars. […]