It’s a paradox that lemons, like most citrus fruits, peak during winter throughout much of the country, because sunshine-bright lemons just scream spring and summer. Besides their happy and fresh look, you’ll want to grab plenty of fresh lemons for these lemon bars with shortbread crust. These lemon bars are the season’s mascot.
Make the most out of fresh lemon juice and zest. (Courtesy of Amy Dong)
Luscious lemon custard layered on top of buttery shortbread. (Courtesy of Amy Dong)Prep Time: 30minutes mins
Cook Time: 40minutes mins
Servings: 20
Author: Amy Dong
Ingredients
For the Crust
For the Filling
Instructions
For the Crust: Preheat oven to 350F with oven rack at middle position. Press a long piece of foil into 13×9 baking dish, so that the ends hang over the dish (helps with removal of bars). Grease the foil and set aside.
Blend flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor until fully combined, about 15 seconds. Add butter and process to blend, about 10 seconds. Then pulse until the mixture looks pale yellow, resembling a coarse meal. If you’re doing it by hand, mix the dry ingredients together in large bowl.
Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of a grater, into the bowl and toss pieces to coat with flour mixture. Rub the bits with fingers until flour turns pale yellow and resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle crust mixture into prepared pan and firmly press into an even layer over bottom of pan. Place pan in freezer for 10 minutes. Then bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
For the Filling: Whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in large bowl. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, and salt to incorporate.
Reduce oven temp to 325F. Stir filling mixture well, and pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm upon a very light touch, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely to room temp.
Tightly cover and chill in fridge before serving. Once chilled, remove entire dessert with foil sling, and cut into squares with a very sharp knife or serrated knife. Dust with powdered sugar upon serving, if desired.
Notes
If dusting with powdered sugar on top, wait until you’re ready to serve. Otherwise, powdered sugar will dissolve.
Lemon bars keep well in the fridge. Wrap them airtight for up to 4 days.
Baked lemon bars can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 271IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
This article was originally published on chewoutloud.com. Follow on Instagram