There is nothing quite so refreshing, and addictive, as home-made lemon bars, and this recipe is a real keeper. Layering a tart and zesty lemon filling over a sweet and buttery crust yields a little piece of lemony-perfection. Serve warm with a dollop of Chantilly cream for a delicious dessert of cold for a mid-morning or a mid-afternoon treat.
For the Short-bread base
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- 2 cups of AP flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup of butter (firm and cold)
- 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
To make the base, cut the butter into the flour and sugar.
Mix with the hands- crumbling the mixture until resembles fine bread crumbs and then mix until it clings together.
Press the dough into a 13×9 pan and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes- the base should be lightly browned.
For the topping:
- 4 large beaten eggs
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄3 cup flour
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
For the filling, beat together eggs, sugar and lemon juice.
Sift together flour, zest and baking powder.
Stir the dry ingredients into the prepared egg mixture.
Pour over baked, cooled crust.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.
To serve, let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar then cut into bars.
