Make My Day Camp: Perfect Lemon Bars

Friday, August 5, 2022

Perfect Lemon Bars

Made these for Dave's LAUGH meeting (Lansing Area Ukulele Group) and everyone seemed to like them even tho I didn't think they're as pretty as they should have been - the top stayed wet and the sugar soaked in...I cut them into squares and put in paper liners to serve them and fortunately that made them look better. This recipe has been in my file to try for years, I cut it out of a magazine but there's no indication of which one or the date. I have a regular ol' lemon square recipe that is probably the same as every other standard regular ol' lemon square recipe, but I decided I'd try something different this time. I'll share my regular recipe tomorrow if you want to try both of them - this one is much more detailed, many more steps and ingredients, and the end result is still a lemon square but different then the usual. Give it a try and see what you think (or wait for tomorrows recipe and make that one hahahah). These are really good, just different.

For the record - I'm always cynical when a recipe is self-proclaimed 'perfect', and I'm not going to tell you these are 'perfect'. They're good but I'm not calling them perfect until I've tried all the recipes I can find hahahha.

Here's the recipe exactly as written, yes it's lots of words and maybe they're all necessary, you decide:

PERFECT LEMON BARS

makes about two dozen 1 1/2 to 2 inch squares

The lemon filling must be added to a warm crust. The 30-minute chilling and 20-minute baking of the crust should allow plenty of time to prepare the filling. If not, make the filling first and stir to blend just before pouring it onto the crust. Any leftover bars can be sealed in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days.

The Crust

1 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra to decorate finished bars
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 t. salt
12 T. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at very cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

Lemon Filling

4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 t. finely grated zest from two large lemons
2/3 cup juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 t. salt

1. FOR THE CRUST: adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350'. Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter, then lay second sheet crosswise over it.

2. Pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confections' sugar, cornstarch's dn salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

3. FOR THE FILLING: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon zest and juice, milk, and salt to blend well.

4. TO FINISH THE BARS: Reduce oven temperature to 325'. Stir filling mixture to rebound; pour onto warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes, Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, peel paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sieve confectioners' sugar over bars, if desired.