Lemon Bars

Posted on: Mar 1, 2013        In: In the Kitchen, Recipes        With: No comments

Do you ever have a hankerin’ to make a certain something?  How do I describe this?  It is not that I am hungry for this certain thing.  (Ever-Lovin’ and I can not and should not eat an entire pan of lemon bars.)   I want to make it or bake it, and share it with somebody.  That is how I had been feeling about lemon bars.  I was so glad when the ADK sisters were coming for dinner.  Now I had an excuse to make lemon bars.  I liked them.  I loved them.  They were tart and sweet.  The recipe is from my mother’s cookbook – A+ in Cooking (page 209).  Bettie Sayers and Patti Redwine both donated this recipe.  When there is more than one family that submits a recipe that is a family favorite, you can bet it is probably delicious.  And these are delicious.

Simple ingredients that you probably have in your home – Butter, flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, lemons (juice and zest), and salt.

 Combine the soften butter, flour, powdered sugar and salt.  Mix until the butter and flour come together.
With your fingers press the crust into the pan.  Bake until lightly browned.
Now it is time to make the second layer.
First zest three medium size lemons. ( The original recipe did not call for zest, but I like zest so I added zest.  Do what you like.)  Sweet Mother of Pearl.  The micro-plane zester is one of my favorite kitchen tools.  Words can not describe how easily you can zest orange, lemon, or lime rinds with this magical gadget.  Remember, when you zest the lemons you do not want the white part – the white is bitter, and you do not want bitter lemon bars.
Next juice the lemons being sure to strain the seeds out of the juice.  Now your home is smelling fantastic.  Love the fresh citrus smell.
FYI:  The original recipe called for 6 tablespoon of lemon juice.  I used all the juice from the three lemons.  It was about 1/2 cup of lemon juice.  Just wanted you to know.
Beat the eggs until well combined. (My Junior Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook says to beat smooth until no white shows.)
Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating a long time (perhaps 3-5 minutes) until pale yellow and increased in volume. It will look luscious and yummy!
Add the lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Sift together flour and salt and stir into the lemon mixture.
Pour the egg/lemon mixture over the crust layer.
Bake until the second layer is set and lightly browned.
Cool in the pan.  When ready to serve, you can dust with sifted powdered sugar.  We used blackberries for a garnish.  Made them a little fancy.
Blessings to you and yours,
Remember, to see the recipe, you have to click on the title at the top of the page.
If you would like a copy of A+ in Cooking, you can order it from the publisher  http://wimmerco.com/store/dsp_ProdDetail.cfm?CFID=10825776&CFTOKEN=67100866&ItemID=85&CategoryID=18
You can also let me know, and I can get one to you.  AND, they are for sale on Amazon.
Print Recipe

Lemon Bars

By Lana Published: March 1, 2013

  • Yield: 9 X 13 inch pan

Delicious tart and sweet lemon bars.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
  2. Butter a 9 X 13 cake pan
  3. Mix, butter, flour, powdered sugar and salt together
  4. Press crust with your fingers into the 9 X 13 cake pan. Press up the sides of the pan.
  5. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes
  6. Second Layer
  7. Zest and juice the lemons. (The original recipe called for 6 tablespoons of lemon juice. I used the zest and juice from the three medium lemons. It was about 1/2 cup of juice.) Be sure to strain the seed from the lemon juice.
  8. Beat eggs well.
  9. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until pale yellow and increased in volume. (About 3-5 minutes)
  10. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest.
  11. Sift the flour and salt and add to the lemon mixture.
  12. Pour the lemon mixture over the pre-baked crust.
  13. Cook for 20-30 minutes at 325 degrees until lemon mixture is set and lightly browned.
  14. Cool in pan. When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar. Garnish with blackberries if desired.
  15. Enjoy!

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