Chef notes
Nothing screams a summer dessert to me more than lemon bars. They're bright, creamy and a delicious treat to bring along to your next outdoor picnic or barbecue!
Technique tip: Lining your baking dish with parchment paper makes for easy removal of your bars. Poking your crust with a fork will help your filling stick to your crust.
Swap option: If you don't have powdered sugar for your crust, granulated sugar works fine as well. Special equipment: A fine mesh strainer for dusting powdered sugar (or a sifter works too).
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9- by 13-inch pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the long sides of the pan (to aid with easy removal at the end).
For the crust:
1.Cream the butter and powdered sugar today with an electric mixer.
2.Add the flour, salt, vanilla and lemon zest, and mix until just combined.
3.Place mixture into your baking dish, flattening with a rubber spatula.
4.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Gently poke the crust all over with a fork and set aside.
For the filling:
1.Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, flour and lemon zest.
2.Pour filling over crust and bake for 30 minutes or until filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
3.Dust with powdered sugar, slice and serve.
