Pesach Lemon Wafer Bars

They’re refreshing and light, and these Lemon Wafer Bars just might become an annual staple in your home too.

Sometimes, it’s ironic how we come to begin making the recipes that have become our staples.

These Lemon Bars were originally featured in Passover Made Easy by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek, and for some reason, even though I’ve used the cookbook often over the years, that recipe never appealed to me and I had never tried them. 

Until we enjoyed them at my sister’s house a few years ago. Everyone loved them! They were the dessert hit.  

And even though this recipe can be called a real BCP original (Passover Made Easy was two of our team members’ earliest collaboration), I still refer to them as “my sister’s lemon bars.”

But that’s how recipes go. The good ones, at least. They go around and we make them our own. And now this is something I make every year. 

Leah was originally inspired to make these bars because her Chocolate Wafer Cake had been her most popular dessert over the years. She would keep it in the freezer, and slice off bars as needed (we’ve included the chocolate filling option below if that’s more your speed). 

These Lemon Bars were the light and refreshing way to change it up, and a nice way to end heavy holiday meals. 

Let’s get started and get out the ingredients.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly add in sugar…

and beat until stiff peaks form. 

Add potato starch and ground nuts. 

You’ll need two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Divide batter between the pans.

Use a spatula to spread evenly. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.

Now let’s make the lemon curd cream. If you don’t use processed ingredients, this means starting my squeezing fresh lemons! Even if you do use bottled lemon juice, it may be worthwhile to use fresh.

Combine eggs, yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a double boiler. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, about 10-12 minutes. Mixture may curdle slightly. 

Blend mixture using an immersion blender (if using a standard blender, blend and return mixture to the pot). Whisk in margarine or frozen oil.

By now, our cakes have cooled and we’re ready to assemble. 

Using a spatula, spread half the cream over one cake.

Carefully place second cake over the cream. 

Use the parchment paper to help you turn it over, then peel it away. 

Spread the remaining cream over the second cake. I often skip this step since I prefer them less sweet, as this works perfectly fine with one layer as well. Freeze until firm.

Once these are frozen, they’re easier to slice neatly. 

You can trim the edges and then slice into bars and serve frozen.

Alternatively, you can use small pretty cookie cutters like these if you want them to look like Petit Fours.

Or, just enjoy them as bars.