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lemon bars

Summary

Yield24
Sourcerookie cookie (http://www.rookie-cookie.com/2008/01/lemon-bars.html)
Prep Time1 hour
TagsDessert

Description

Stumbled on this recipe online, and the pictures looked enticing. So we made them, and boy are we glad we did. Most lemon bars we've sampled tend to overcook the edge pieces and leave the middle pieces gooey, but this recipe evenly distributes the crispness on both top and bottom while leaving the perfect amount of goo on the inside. These are the best lemon bars we've ever had. Mmm.

Ingredients

  • 1 c unsalted butter
  • 3 1⁄2 c granulated sugar
  • 3 c flour
  • 1⁄8 t salt
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 T grated lemon zest (4-6 lemons)
  • 1 c lemon juice
  • 1 powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

Pull out the butter and eggs to get those to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

For the crust, cream the butter and just 1/2 cup sugar together until the color lightens (a few minutes). Mix just 2 cups of the flour and the salt on low until just combined with the butter. With floured hands, press the dough into the pan, making a 1/2 inch edge on the sides. Chill for 15 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, the remaining 3 cups sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Pour the filling over the crust (crust doesn't need to be cooled completely). Bake 30-35 minutes, until filling is set.

Let cool to room temperature before cutting into squares. Dust with powdered sugar.

Notes

Note, I just used the lemon juice in a bottle. I'm sure fresh would be better, but I don't tend to have those on hand. For the same reason, I kind of skipped the zest. Again, I'm sure it would taste lots better, but so it goes.