Lemon is an essential flavor in many bakers summer treats. Adding lemon can add little bit of a kick and bring a whole lot of brightness to desserts! These lemon bars are a perfect balance of sweet and tangy. The shortbread-like base pairs perfectly with the smooth lemon filling. This recipe was taken from The Great Bake Sale Cook Book from Good Housekeeping.
Step 1: The base
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil and spray it down with PAM. To make the base, combine the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1.5 cups flour in a bowl. Once they are mixed together, the butter can be added. Add the butter to the bowl in cubes. I like to add them all at once and then mix them in, but you can also mix in batches at a time. You can use a pastry blender but I prefer to use my hands to mix the dough. Once the butter is adequately mixed in with the dry mixture, it can be transferred to the lined pan. the base should have a sandy consistency and there should be no large clumps of butter visible. The Make sure the dough evenly covers the bottom of the pan. place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
Step 2: The filling
Grate 2 teaspoons worth of lemon zest and squeeze 1/3 cup of juice. I like my lemon bars super tangy so I added around a total of 3 teaspoons of zest and a half a cup of juice. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs with a hand mixer until they are frothy and very light yellow. Add the sugar, remaining 3 Tbsp of flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the egg mixture. Make sure to mix well so there are no lumps.
Step 3: The filling
Pour the filling into the still warm baked dough. Place it into the oven, being careful not to spill any of the mixture, and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the middle is set. I like to jiggle the pan a little to see if it is set. If it still moves a little I would say leave it in the oven for 1-2 minutes longer.
Step 4: The cooling
After taking the bars out of the oven and letting them cool for a few minutes, it is time to dust the top with powdered sugar. Take the remaining Tbsp of powdered sugar and sift it over the top of the bars. Once the bars are completely cooled, they can be cut into squares. I find that they last the best within days 1-4 of making them when stored in a container.
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