Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

I decided to make lemon bars after a friend of mine (NICOLE!) made them and said they turned out deliciously! We were even skyping and she just could not stop eating them in front of me (she lives in Switzerland)! So, I asked her for the recipe and decided to have a go at it.  It turned out to be delicious and a hit at our household! It was just the right amount of tang and sweetness. Definitely a good recommendation and I hope you think so too!

Ingredients (12-3inch bars):

-----The Crust-----

cooking spray

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

-----Filling-----

4 large eggs + 2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon lemon zest

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.  Line pan with foil and then spray foil again. 

3. Soften butter in a medium bowl.  Add flour, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and the salt to bowl. Combine until the mixture has a crumbly appearance.

4. Press evenly into the bottom of the 9x13 inch pan.  The crust should come up about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.  Make sure there are no cracks in the crust. 

5. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes.

6. For the filling whisk the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until smooth.

7. Add in the lemon zest and juice. Mix well.

8. After crust is done reduce the temperature to 300 degrees. 

9. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. 

10. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. 

11. Refrigerate bars for at least 2 hours.  I kept mine in for about 3 hours before they were hard enough to cut in to. 

12. Sift powdered sugar over bars before serving.

13. ENJOY!