Lemon Bars

By dkanon

We made this for dessert the other night. I've made some adjustments to the original recipe. I rate this 4 out of 5 stars. They are pretty good!

Ingredients

• Shortbread:
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons worth of lemon zest
• 10 oz flour (2 cups)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Curd:
• 6 extra large eggs
• 2.5 cups sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (7-8 lemons)
• 5 oz flour (1 cup)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Details

Servings 9
Adapted from fifteenspatulas.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer (that's what I used), beat the butter until it has spread around the bowl, about 15 seconds on medium speed. With the mixer still on medium, add the granulated sugar and cream the two together for 30 seconds. Add the lemon zest, flour, and salt, and mix until it has combined, but still looks crumbly. If you pinch a few crumbles together, they should hold well. Dump the crumbly shortbread into a lightly buttered, 9x13 pan and press it firmly to make a smooth layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the shortbread is a light golden brown color, and in the meantime, make the lemon curd.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Then add the lemon juice, flour, and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture over the fully baked shortbread and bake for about 35-40 minutes. When the lemon bars are ready, the mixture will jiggle a little bit when you shake the pan, but it won't be liquidy in the center. Let the lemon bars cool completely before serving. Chill for 20 minutes before cutting. They're ready to eat! Dust them with a little bit of powdered sugar if you'd like.

You can top with meringue kisses on top if you'd like!