Lemon Bars

Today is a pretty nice day. Given that I just got back from Miami, zero degrees Celsius is not the ideal temperature but I am still recharged with sunshine energy. In terms of Canadian weather, sunshine and zero degrees is the beginning of spring. So, in the spirit of the incoming season I have decided to bake lemon bars 🙂

I find lemon bars to be one of the best spring treats (tied with key lime tarts). It’s the perfect combination of tangy and sweet without the commitment of spongy lemon cake or the sugar overload of the filling in a lemon meringue pie.

I find that a lot of the lemon bar recipes are quite similar — they can vary based on what you have on hand in the kitchen. Here is mine 🙂

Lemon Bar Recipe

Ingredients

The crust:

3/4 stick of butter (so halfway past the second 1/4 mark on a large butter block), chilled
1 cup flour (I use unbleached)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
pinch of salt

The filling:

3 eggs, whisked
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
3 tbsp whipping cream (can use milk instead)
pinch of salt
zest from 2 lemons grated on top before baking

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together crust ingredients. When dough is smooth, press into bottom of 8×8 pan.
Bake for about 15 mins or until golden.
In another bowl, mix the eggs with sugar. Whisk in four and salt. Add lemon juice and whipping cream.
Pour over baked crust and grate the zest over top.
Bake for another 15-18 mins until firm.
Let cool on rack for 10 mins and place in fridge to cool for 10-15 more. Cut into squares and serve with some confectioners sugar dusted overtop.