Lemon Bars
These bright tangy lemon bars are made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, a shortbread crust, and a splash of cream in the lemon layer for a wonderfully balanced treat.
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
For the Filling:
- 2 large eggs plus 7 large yolks
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup grated lemon zest plus ⅔ cup juice 4 lemons
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 long sheets of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lay the pieces in the pan perpendicular to each other, with extra paper or foil hanging over the edges of the pan. Push it into the corners and sides of the pan and grease it.
- For the crust:In a food processor, combine flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until combined (about 3 seconds).
- Cut butter into 8 pieces and sprinkle over top of flour mixture. Pulse until mixture is a pale yellow and crumbly (about 8 pulses). Sprinkle mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer.
- Bake about 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking, until crust starts to brown.
- For the filling:While the crust is baking, whisk eggs and yolks together in medium saucepan. Add granulated sugar and whisk until combined.
- Whisk in lemon zest, juice, and salt.
- Add butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture thickens slightly and registers 170℉ on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
- Immediately strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into bowl and stir in cream.
- Pour the warm lemon mixture over the hot crust. Bake 10-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the filling is shiny and opaque. The center should jiggle slightly when shaken.
- Let bars cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Lift the bars from the pan using the foil overhang. Cut into squares, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge and add additional powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Fresh lemon juice is a must in this recipe. Get a handheld citrus juicer to make squeezing the fresh lemon juice much easier and use a microplane grater to zest your lemons.
- It’s important that the bars are totally cool before cutting them. Run the knife under hot water between each cut made.
- Store cut lemon bars in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.
This recipe comes from the America's Test Kitchen New Family Cookbook. It's a great book full of great recipes I'm always happy to share with you.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 of 16 bars | Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
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