Holiday Treats: Lemon Bars

This is my Mother’s recipe.  It reminds me of the Decembers of the past when she would spend the whole month baking up gifts.  We would make messes together in the kitchen; laughing and swearing up a storm when things didn’t turn out as expected.  Don’t worry, this one will turn out.

Lemon Bars

2 dozen

For crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup unsalted butter, cut in cubes

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

zest of 1 lemon

For Lemon Filling:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons lemon juice, about 2 lemons

¾ teaspoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon flour

½ teaspoon salt

Additional confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.

Mix together flour, confectioner’s sugar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl.  Add butter and begin working it through fingers to form sheets.  Continue doing this until you can squeeze the mixture together and it stays.  It will be a bit crumbly.  Place into baking pan and firmly press down evenly into all corners.  Bake for 20 minutes.

While waiting for the crust to bake, make the lemon filling.  Beat together eggs and sugar until thoroughly combined.  Add lemon juice and mix.  Then add baking powder, flour, and salt.  

When the crust is done, pour lemon filling over the hot crust and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until a golden brown crust forms on top.

Allow lemon bars to cool completely.  Remove from pan and cut into squares.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar.  

//Cook’s Note:  To help alleviate the holiday baking frenzy, make these ahead of time, wrap them in foil once completely cooled, Place in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze until a day before serving.