Lemon Bars

With Spring approaching and the abundance of lemons growing on my Grandma's Meyer lemon tree, I thought lemon bars would be a perfect dessert to bring to a housewarming I attended last weekend. I still have hundreds of lemons hanging from that tree in need of zesting and juicing. Lemon meringue pie, or lots of lemonade perhaps? 

 

The crust on these bars is crumbly and dense, a cross between a pie crust and a shortbread with just a touch of sweetness. The lemon curd filling thick, gooey, and tart- most delicious! The powdered sugar gives a little bit more sweetness, but just looks really pretty dusted over the tops.

 


Lemon Bars
( adapted from Ina Garten)

Crust:
- 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
- 7 large eggs (6 extra large)
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon zest (4-6 lemons)
- 1 cup lemon juice (for me, it was 7 lemons)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Get out a 9 x 13 baking dish

To make the crust, cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy, 5 minutes.

Add the vanilla and salt and incorporate. Turn on low, and add the flour in. Mix until just combined.
Dump the dough onto a floured board and bring it together. Press evenly into baking dish.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the zest, juice, vanilla, and flour and whisk until just combined. Pour over the filling and bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling has set.

Let them cool completely in pan. I even put mine in the fridge for an hour so it would be easier to cut.

Cut into desired squares, and dust with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!