This week, everything I made had lemon in it! Maybe it’s because spring is right around the corner. Maybe (more likely) it’s because there was a really good sale on a giant bag of lemons at the grocery store! Either way, lemons just make me think of sunshine!! It was pretty fortuitous (fruituitous?) that one of my favorite baking blogs (other than my own, of course 😉 ) had a Lemon Bar challenge this month! That means I just got this Sally’s Baking Challenge in under the deadline!
For the record, me and shortbread are currently in a fight. I’ve tried to make a decent shortbread cookie for this blog twice already. The first time, it was greasy and crumbly. The second time, I left them in the oven too long, and they came out hard and dry. I don’t want to blame the two weeks I haven’t posted on failed shortbread, but it was definitely a huge factor. I hate when things I bake don’t work! I take it so personally, hence, we’re in a fight.
The fact that these lemon bars have a shortbread crust after two disastrous attempts was one part intimidating and one part pure vengeance extract. I had a score to settle with shortbread and it was about to go down, cage match style. Ok–this is, in reality, not that dramatic, and though the state of my kitchen after I bake would tend to indicate an actual smack down has occurred, this is really more of an internal, emotional struggle with shortbread. I was actually just giving shortbread the silent treatment. Shortbread didn’t even notice.
Luckily, this shortbread is slightly different from the traditional shortbread cookie dough. Since the butter is melted, there’s no danger of handling the dough too much. In fact, I quickly abandoned pressing the dough into the pan with the spatula, and just used my fingers. There was no better way to get the shortbread into the corners while making sure the parchment stayed properly in place.
This goes into the oven until it is lightly browned around the edges. I probably pulled mine out a smidge too early, but I’ve been burned before. More accurately, I’ve burned it before. Meanwhile, I made the filling. By the way, both the crust and the filling components are simple and quick enough that you don’t need any electronics. A spatula or wooden spoon and a whisk are really the only hand tools you need. I love my Kitchen Aid, but sometimes, I love to leave her on the shelf. Having never made (or eaten) a lemon bar before, I was actually surprised that the bright yellow color that screams “THIS IS LEMON FLAVORED” actually comes from the egg yolks rather than the lemon juice! Who knew?
Personal story time: At this point in the recipe, I had already whisked the filling together, pulled the partially baked shortbread out of the oven, and was preparing to pour the filling over top when I saw the UPS truck pull up. The baby was asleep and if that doorbell rang, she may not stay that way, especially if the dog had anything to do with it. I made the split second decision to abandon the lemon bars in favor of preserving nap time and ran out the front door to intercept the UPS guy. The dog correctly interpreted my haste in rushing out the door to mean a stranger was approaching, and barked anyway. Sigh. Luckily, the baby slept through it, but the UPS guy now thinks I am insane.
I got back to my kitchen, poured the filling over the crust, and stuck it back in the oven until the filling was set.
Hands down, the most “time-consuming” part of this is the cooling and chilling process. It took about two hours to get to room temperature, and you want to leave an hour for chilling in the fridge. If you’re making them for an event, leave yourself plenty of time!! These steps cannot be rushed. Once they are chilled, the overlap of the parchment makes them easy to pull out and make clean cuts. The unavoidable, uneven look of the top is easily and attractively covered up by a light layer of powdered sugar!
I mentioned in passing that I have not ever eaten a lemon bar before, so when I was taste testing, I had no frame of reference!! Oh, my… I have been missing so much! They are so creamy and tangy, and the sweetness of the shortbread crust perfectly balanced all that lemon! They also were absolutely devoured when I took them in to work! I had to ration them or they’d have been gone by lunch! I take that to mean that my lack of reference aside, they were pretty darn delicious! Sally’s recipe also mentions a blood orange version, and I can’t wait to try that out, too!
So shortbread, if you read this–I suppose we’re back on speaking terms. For now.
Lemon Bar
Equal parts sweet and tart, these incredibly easy lemon bars are sunshine and spring in a square! Recipe is compliments of Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients
- For the Shortbread Crust:
- 1 cup (230g, 2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 cups + 2Tbsp (265g) All-Purpose Flour
- For the Lemon Filling:
- 2 cup (400g) Granulated Sugar
- 6 Tbsp (48g) All-Purpose Flour
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) Lemon Juice (Fresh Squeezed!)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 9×13 glass or ceramic with parchment paper, leaving over hand up the sides
- Step 2 Mix melted butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to combine. The dough will be thick with a texture like cookie dough. Press dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are lightly browned
- Step 3 Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Add the eggs and lemon juice and whisk until completely combined
- Step 4 Pour the lemon filling over the warm crust and bake for an additional 20-21 minutes until the center is just set and no longer jiggles in the center
- Step 5 Cool bars until completely room temperature (about 2 hours), then chill for 1-2 hours
- Step 6 To serve: lift parchment out of the pan. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares. Serve chilled and store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week
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