Lemon Bars

I went to Trader Joe’s to get some stuff for dinner tonight and was looking for a lemon.  I found a bag of 5 and just bought that because there were no individual lemons for sale.  On the drive home I thought, “what the heck am I going to do with 4 lemons?”  As soon as I got home I typed “lemon” into foodblogsearch.com, one of my favorite web sites, and up popped a recipe for lemon bars by Mary of Alpine Berry.  Perfect. 

 

I’ve been a little difficult to live with lately.  Just…irritable and crabby.  I feel bad that Dave has to put up with me, so I decided that baking would be just the thing to redeem myself a little.  Also, when I’m feeling crappy I like to bake- it’s like cheap, delicious therapy.  I followed Mary’s recipe pretty closely, with a few alterations that I’ve noted.

First, preheat your oven to 350F, butter an 8x8 inch pan and line it with parchment paper.  I left out the parchment paper and it didn't seem to make that big of a difference.  If you decide to forgo the parchment paper don't be shy with the butter.  Next, I made the crust.  Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse in 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold, unsalted butter  until the mixture is pebbly.  I used salted butter and omitted the salt- 1 stick of salted butter will add about 1/4 tsp salt to your recipe.

Press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan.  Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes.

 That's a picture of the unbaked crust up there.  Note the fingertip marks.  Those make these "rustic" lemon bars.  Ahem.  Now set the crust aside and work on the filling.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1 cup superfine sugar, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  

When that's nice and creamy whisk in 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 teaspoons lemon zest.  

 

This is our citrus juicer.  We got it at a warehouse sale near our old house and I love it.

Mary used Meyer lemons in her recipe, but I only had access to the plain old supermarket Eureka lemons.  The Eurekas tend to be more tart than the Meyers, so increase the sugar by maybe 1/4 cup to offset the tartness.  I like my bars tart, so I only added the recommended cup of sugar.  When that's all mixed, pour the filling over the cooled crust.

 

Bake until the filling is just set, about 15-18 minutes.  I took mine out at 15 minutes and they were perfect.  Mary's recipe says to let the bars cool completely before serving, but I can't say that I've waited for any baked good to cool before cramming it in my mouth.  At least wait until the bars are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.  Oh, and a dusting of powdered sugar adds a little more sweetness and a lot more cuteness.

Below is the recipe from Alpine Berry with my notes. 

Meyer Lemon Bars
(makes one 8-inch square pan)

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces  (I used salted butter and omitted the salt)

Filling:
2 large eggs
1 cup superfine or bakers' sugar  (Increase this to 1 1/4 cup if you're using Eureka lemons and want to offset the tartness)
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp finely grated meyer lemon zest*  (I used the easier-to-find Eureka lemons)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice*  (I used the easier-to-find Eureka lemons)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.  (I didn't use parchment paper and liberally buttered my pan)

To make crust:
Combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is pebbly. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes. Set aside crust.

To make filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in lemon zest and juice until well combined. Pour over crust (it's okay if crust is still hot). Bake until filling is just set, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.