Delicious Lemon Bars

The weather is getting warmer and the sun is finally coming out! I swear I haven’t seen it in 3 months… Best of all, it’s an indication that Spring is around the corner 🙂 In order to celebrate, I decided to make a really bright and citrusy dessert to reflect the spring colors that are popping up everywhere — Lemon Bars!

I was first introduced to these yummy lemon bars at a Christmas dinner I had with my friends last year. One of them brought these lemon bars that their mom made and everyone was raving about them. Of course we hounded them for the recipe but despite getting the recipe, I just never got around to making it.. until today!

My friend tried to make these too but unfortunately, hers never turned out the way she wanted it to. Apparently the lemon curd mixture was too runny and it just went underneath the crust. This got me really nervous and I had to do a bunch of research ahead of time to ensure I don’t have the same fate as her. The trick here is

a) Ensure that the crust is pressed up tightly against all sides of the baking tray so that none of the lemon curd mixture leaks underneath it during the baking process.

b) Ensure that you beat the eggs and sugar well enough so that it’s pale and thickened. If you under beat it, it will be runny and won’t hold together. You’ll know you’ve got the right consistency when you lift the beaters up and the mixture slowly droops off of it. It should look something like this.

Other than those tips, this dessert is super easy to make. Be careful, they’re super addictive! I promise you once you make these, your friends and family will be begging for more!

Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Makes approximately 20 squares, depending on how large you cut them

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Lemon Curd:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 325F. To make the crust, beat the softened butter, salt, and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. I used a Kitchenaid stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this.
Once light and fluffy, slowly add in the flour 1/2 cup at a time until it is all incorporated. The final crust mixture will resemble a pie crust mixture. Take the crust mixture and gather it into a ball. Flatten the dough and press it into a 9 x 13 baking tray lined with parchment paper. Ensure that the crust mixture is pressed up against all sides of the baking tray.
Bake the crust for 35 minutes until golden and set. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the lemon curd mixture. Beat eggs and sugar until pale and thickened. Mix in lemon zest and lemon juice.
Stir in flour and baking powder until well combined.
Pour the lemon curd mixture over the crust and bake for 20 minutes until set and firm. The centre should still be a little jiggly if you shake the tray a little bit as you don’t want it to cook through completely.
Now, the hardest part…. You have to set this aside to cool and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before you can actually cut into it and eat it. The lemon curd needs time to set.
When ready to serve, cut into squares and dust with a light powder of icing sugar. Watch as they disappear before your eyes.

So tell me, how did yours turn out?