Lemon Bars

To be honest, most of the time when I am eating dessert I want something CHOCOLATE. But occasionally I get a strong crazing for something sweet/fresh/sour and the best recipe to satisfy that is these lemon bars. Shortbread crust + thick lemon curd + powdered sugar = perfection. Patience is reward because although this recipe is SUPER SIMPLE, you have to wait about 90 minutes before eating because they really taste the best when they are cold. And by best I mean that I can’t help eating 3 of them in one sitting. Consider yourself warned.

INGREDIENTS:

Shortbread Crust

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Lemon Filling

1 cup granulated sugar

3 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)

optional: lemon zest and powdered sugar for topping 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325°F Line the bottom and sides of a 8x8 glass baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Spray parchment with cooking spray.

Make the filling (lemon curd): 

Whisk the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Add the eggs and lemon juice and whisk until completely combined. 

Set aside

Make the crust: 

Using a fork, mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. 

Press firmly into prepared pan.

Bake for 15-16 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. 

Remove from the oven. 

Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust (not all the way through the crust).

Assemble the bars:

Pour filling over warm crust. Bake the bars for 20-22 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. I err on the side of underdone because they will continue to cook after being removed from he oven.

Cool for 40-minutes on a wire rack then transfer to the refrigerator and cool for an hour or until pretty well chilled. I like my lemon bars cold! And also they are much easier to cut when they are well chilled.

Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan and dust with powdered sugar and lemon zest and cut into squares before serving. They will keep for up to a week in the fridge (if they can last that long!) Enjoy!