In the Kitchen: Lemon bars

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you know chocolate is just my thing. But when it comes to warmer weather, not much sounds better than sitting with a nice cold lemon in hand, you know, except having an equally refreshing and tart lemon bar in the other. 

These came out positively delicious! I would never steer you wrong, would I? So, yes, this recipe turned out incredible, right down the perfectly textured crust. Now, I do like my lemon flavoring a bit strong, so I tend to add a bit more lemon juice and zest than recipes normally ask for, and that is included in the recipe I have here for you guys. So if you want a bit less tart, I suggest you take off about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and keep it at 1 teaspoon or so of zest.

Lemon Bars

print recipe here

Crust:

INGREDIENTS

yields about 12-15 bars

• vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Grease a 9-by -13 inch pan, or one similar in size, with vegetable oil and line with foil. Leave about a 2-ince overhang of foil on sides; grease the foil with oil. 

Pulse the butter, flour, sugars, and salt in a food processor until the dough forms together. You may also use an electric mixer. This should be for a couple minutes.

Once, formed, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan, making sure there are no gaps or cracks. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Filling:

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks in addition
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, two egg yolks, sugar, and flour until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice.

Once crust is done, remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. 

Pout the filling over the warm crust and return to oven. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until filling is just set.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm. Lift out of the pan with the foil and your lemon bars are ready to be sliced!

Lastly, dust your bars with confectioners' sugar before serving to add a bit of sweetness to the tart taste, as well as add some visual appeal.

Enjoy! xx