lemon bars.

January 23, 2014 § 4 Comments

Say hello to one of my favorite sweet treats…

…lemon bars!

These are deceptively easy to make, even for a novice baker who is still slightly terrified of her mixer. Ahem.

I am the kind of girl that reaches for the bag of chocolate when I crave sugar, not a doughnut or a cookie. But when I do crave a baked treat, these lemon bars are it–I love the tartness of the lemon combined with all the sweet sugar.

I keep these lemon bars in the fridge and eat them super cold with a spoon. To each their own!

Lemon Bars

(I followed this recipe from Foodie Crush, except with regular lemons.)

What you need:

1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus a bit extra for sprinkling)
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 by 3 baking dish with PAM or another nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the powdered sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy.

Add 2 cups flour and continue to beat until mixed.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and press it evenly into the bottom of your baking dish.

Pop the dough into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until it begins to turn golden.

While the dough is baking, beat the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest by hand or with your mixer, until blended. Sift in the additional 1/2 cup of flour and the baking powder, and continue to mix on a low speed. Once the filling is completely mixed, pour the mixture over the hot crust. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to set and cool completely before dusting the top with powdered sugar.

Cut into small squares–I was able to get nearly 25 bars from one pan.