Lemon Bars

I tend not to share dessert recipes. It's just my thing. If you have my recipe then you have no reason to buy my goodies. I probably wouldn't care as much if I didn't rely on selling at least a few treats a month to help feed my family.

However, no one local seems to order lemon bars. I used to sell my semi-famous, slightly tart and sweet, squares of deliciousness on very regular basis when I lived in Oregon. There is something about Coloradans making them impervious to the power of my lemon bars.

In light of this revelation, I have decided to post my recipe. It was adapted from an Ina Garten recipe that I found some time ago. I truly only made one change, but for me, it makes all the difference. I use some, not all, bottled lemon juice. I prefer it because the acidity level is constant and gives that tartness that I dig. Fresh lemons vary on the sour scale. I have also found that using a different sized pan, doesn't work. You'll end up thin, gummy bars. These are supposed to be thick, rich, and have a creamy lemon layer. Enjoy!

For the crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the lemon layer:
6 large eggs

 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (3 or 4 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (just juice the ones you used for zest and fill in the rest with bottled lemon juice)
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar.

 Then dump in the flour and salt and mix just until combined.

Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. I like to line mine foil so that I can pull the whole thing out of the pan, it makes for easier cutting once it is fully baked and cooled. It bakes for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the top is lightly browned.

In the meantime, ready the lemon layer.

See, I really do put some in.

Beat the eggs and sugar, until it gets light yellow and fluffy. Then mix in the lemon juice, and then the flour.

Last, I don't turn the mixer on, but still use the beat to gently mix in the zest. Turning the mixer on will create too much force and entangle the zest around the beaters. Then you'll spend a bunch of time picking it off. TRUST ME!

The original recipe says to let the crust cool before pouring in the lemon, but I never do. You'll bake the whole thing again, for another 30 minutes, or until the middle is no longer jiggly. Just to clarify, I mean the middle of the lemon layer. Baking this will not make your middle un-jiggle.

When it's done, the top will have a crust. Let it cool completely. Then dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares. I go for 16, but feel free to make them larger or smaller.