Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Monday - August 21, 2017

These may just be the gooiest, lemoniest (a real word? Don’t think so…) lemon bars of all time. I'm baking these for a friend's wedding this weekend (!!!) and wanted to practice before the main event. My test batch came out really well, but I'll probably bake them for 2 more minutes (so 27 minutes total) for the wedding so they can be transported a bit easier. Seriously though, I can't imagine a better lemon bar recipe. They are sweet, a tiny bit tart, and the crust is buttery yet holds the filling together so it doesn't blob out. 

Also side note, but nothing makes me feel quite as put-together and at the height of domesticity than zesting a lemon. I know it's actually super easy to do, but for some reason every time I zest one I feel like I've got my life all together. Someone who was all over the place wouldn't have the time to expertly zest a lemon right? Maybe? Either way, I highly recommend making these bars as soon as possible!

Recipe adapted from Blue Eyed Bakers.
Yield: 24-30 lemon squares (depends on how big you cut them!)

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Lemon Topping:
6 eggs, room temperature
2 ½ cups sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 4-6 lemons’ worth)
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. To make the crust, mix together butter, flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt in an electric mixer. Blend until combined fully and press into the bottom of the baking pan. I used the back of a measuring cup to create an even layer of crust.  Bake for 14-15 minutes, until crust is just barely golden.

3. Set the pan with the crust aside to cool while you prepare the lemon topping.

4. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour until combined.  Pour over cooled crust and bake for 25-30 minutes, until topping is just set.

5. Cool, dust with confectioners’ sugar and enjoy!