Lemon Bars

The key to great lemon bars is to use lots of fresh lemon zest and juice. The bright tart lemon is a perfect complement to the rich buttery crust. This recipe will fit into a 9×13 casserole dish just fine, but you’ll end up with a thinner bar. I like my lemon bars to have nice thick layers of shortbread crust and lemon curd, so I use a smaller dish to bake them in.

Crust
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Filling
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 lemons, juiced (about 2/3 C)
Zest of 3 lemons

1 T butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175°C).
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar until it forms dough that holds its shape when pressed together. Press into the bottom of a greased 8×11  inch pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. It’s better to overbake, than underbake the crust – so make sure it’s begun to turn a golden color before removing it from the oven.
4. While crust is baking, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar and the eggs in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice, zest, butter and 5 T flour. Whisk together constantly over medium low heat until slightly thickened and warm. Carefully pour over the baked crust.
5. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove when the edges are set, but the center still moves slightly when jiggled. The bars will firm up as they cool.
6. Allow to cool completely in pan. (about 2 hours) Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.