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Lemon Bars

Source of Recipe

Lori of dessertfirst


List of Ingredients

1 cup + 2 tbsp AP flour
1� cups powdered sugar, + additional for dusting
zest of 2 lemons
pinch of salt
� cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 large eggs
� cup + 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice




Recipe

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350�F. Grease an 8-inch Pyrex glass pan.

Whisk together 1 cup of flour, � cup of powdered sugar, the zest, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives used scissors-fashion. (I use my hands). Handle until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently gather the dough into a ball until it comes together. The dough will be sticky at this point. Don�t be tempted to add more flour otherwise the crust will be tough.

Transfer the dough to the baking pan. Place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the crust � this will make it easier to handle. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Prick the dough with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes of until the crust�s edges are slightly golden brown. The crust may puff up slightly � this is OK. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1� cups of powdered sugar, and the remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Set aside.

In another bowl, slightly beat the eggs until no whites are visible. Don�t let bubbles form on the surface. (They won�t disappear during baking and the lemon bars will have a mottled top). Add the lemon juice and beat just until blended.

Pour the lemon mixture over the crust (it doesn�t matter how hot or warm the crust is) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the filling is just set in the center. Don�t overbake or else the filling will be gelatin-like.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. After it�s cooled for about 15 minutes, sift some powdered sugar over the bars. You can serve these either warm or cold. Store in an airtight container in the fridge once they�ve cooled.