Lemon Bars
I keep buying bags of lemons, thinking one day I’ll make a pan of lemon bars. They used to be in regular rotation – I’d make them so often I knew the recipe by heart – sometimes plain, sometimes with cranberries, coconut, blueberries or chopped rhubarb scattered over the base before the filling went on top. Everything goes well with lemon – especially a buttery shortbread base.
I offered to bake a few things for a small memorial service – a little something to go with coffee and tea – and lemon bars seemed a good fit. The occasion reminded me of my grandma’s funeral, and of the small group of ladies in the old, high-ceilinged, whitewashed church kitchen, baking and arranging small squares – dainties – on trays. Nanaimo bars, matrimonial slice, those peanut butter marshmallow bars, butter tarts, triangles of egg salad sandwich on white bread and tuna on brown. I imagined how many times they had done this over the years – my grandma included.
And so it came to be that I finally baked a batch of lemon bars – which are best made for sharing – although it occurred to me later that anything dusted in icing sugar is probably not best served to a group of people wearing mostly black. But nobody minded, and everyone reminisced about how someone in their past had made lemon bars just like these. (Pardon the hasty photos, taken in my robe with wet hair, 10 minutes before we had to leave for two birthday parties and a memorial.)
Lemon Bars
AuthorJuliePreheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl or the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt; add the butter and blend with a pastry cutter or fork, or pulse in the food processor until well blended and crumbly. Press into the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes, until barely golden around the edges.
In the same bowl (no need to wash it), stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, lemon zest and juice and stir until well blended and smooth. Pour over the base.
Return to the oven for 25–30 minutes, until slightly golden on top and bubbly around the edges. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting. (If you freeze them, they'll cut even more cleanly; just let them sit on the counter to thaw.) Sprinkle with icing sugar before or after you cut them.
Makes 12 bars.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl or the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt; add the butter and blend with a pastry cutter or fork, or pulse in the food processor until well blended and crumbly. Press into the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes, until barely golden around the edges.
In the same bowl (no need to wash it), stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, lemon zest and juice and stir until well blended and smooth. Pour over the base.
Return to the oven for 25–30 minutes, until slightly golden on top and bubbly around the edges. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting. (If you freeze them, they'll cut even more cleanly; just let them sit on the counter to thaw.) Sprinkle with icing sugar before or after you cut them.
Makes 12 bars.
I like to spread a thin layer of seedless raspberry jam on the shortbread crust before pouring on the topping. Made a pan for Christmas and they didn’t last very long.
YUM!
I have a bag of Meyer lemons I bought on impulse – think they will work with this. Maybe I’ll cut down on the sugar a bit since they aren’t quite as tart. Really enjoying your regular posts — I missed your posts in December.
Yep, they’ll definitely work! and I’m sure you could cut back the sugar to 3/4 cup without having to tweak anything else.
Yes. Also love these, recipe came to me in my twenties, while taking master gardening at the calgary zoo. Happy memories. Thanks for the regular posts. So great to “see” more of you.
Congrats on being picked as one of food52’s favorite blogs this week!
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