Lemon bars are one of those yummy confections that everyone loves. Yet, like all great recipes, this one required lots of experimentation. My friend Melissa (a self-described lemon bar addict) and I must have made 200 lemon bars to arrive at this recipe. We, our husbands, and anyone else who was willing to eat them, ate a lot of lemon bars! Finally, we found perfection. These have a buttery shortbread crust with a luscious, tart-yet-sweet filling...and they're as pretty as they are delicious. Naturally, they make a wonderful breakfast or dessert; and they’re perfect for a party, especially when served in pretty paper cupcake liners.
Makes 16 2-inch squares
Makes 16 2-inch squares
Ingredients
For the crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (plus more to decorate finished bars)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened but still cool and cut into 1-inch pieces
For Lemon Topping
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (you'll need between 2 and 3 lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Directions
Make the Crust
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cover a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Push foil into corners and up sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure that foil overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal of baked bars). Spray foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place the flour, corn starch, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and mix for a few seconds. Add the butter and mix to blend, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the entire bottom, building up a 1/2-inch edge around all sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Bake the crust until lightly golden, about 15-20 minutes.
Make the Topping
1. In a big bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and flour.
2. As soon as the base is baked, pour the topping over top. Immediately return the pan to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is set and firm. Let cool on a rack to room temperature.
3. To cut, use the foil overhang to transfer the lemon bars to a cutting board. Loosen the foil from the edges. Using a sharp knife, trim the edges, cut into 2-inch squares, then dust with confectioners' sugar. Store covered in refrigerator and serve chilled or at room temperature.
