Lemon Bars

The gooey, sweet, lemon filling pairs nicely with the buttery, crumbly crust in these lemon bars.  The crust is so buttery and tender that these lemon bars should be eaten with a fork since the crust can crumble under pressure.  This recipe is simple to master and the lemon bars can be made in about an hour or less.  This lemon bar recipe was one of my favorite recipes growing up and I actually prefer this over the more time consuming Lemon Meringue Tarts. 

Crust

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• A pinch of salt

Lemon Filling

• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 6 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• Zest from 1 lemon (optional)
• 2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting the top

Prepare the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray the sides of a 3-quart rectangular, glass Pyrex pan with cooking spray.  

Using the bowl of a food processor, blend together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt.  Add the cold, cubed butter.  

Pulse just until the butter is blended evenly into the flour mixture.  The mixture should have the texture of cornmeal, as shown above.  

Empty the butter-flour mixture into the glass pan.  Press down until crust is level.  Do not over work the crust at this step.  If you touch the crust too much and the butter starts to get soft or melt, your crust will not be as flaky and tender.  

Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 

Make the Lemon Filling:

Squeeze the lemons until you get 6 tablespoons of lemon juice.  Zest the lemon(s), if desired. 

Mix together flour and sugar in a small bowl.  In a medium or large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, eggs, and flour-sugar mixture until the lemon mixture is smooth. 

Pour the lemon mixture over the crust.  Bake the lemon bars at 350°F for 25 more minutes or until no imprint remains when lightly touched in the center. 

Let cool and use a spatula to loosen the lemon bars from the edges of the pan.  Dust with powdered sugar using a small, fine-mesh sieve and cut into 24 servings.