Recipe: Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are a delicious treat for the summertime (or anytime, I suppose) and almost all occasions. They consist of a buttery shortbread base, topped with a zesty lemon "filling". Here is a wonderful recipe, shared by Ann Prospero on her website, annprospero.net, with a couple of modifications.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup butter

For the filling:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
3/4 cup to 1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup whole milk (alternatives: half-and-half, light cream)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line of 13x9x2inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a few inches of overhang (you will need to remove the foil from the baking pan later). Grease the foil.

2. Combine the 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resmbles coarse crumbs. (If mixing by hand, melt the butter and stir the mixture.)

3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges turn golden.

4. In the meantime, prepare the filling: whisk together the eggs, sugar, the 3 tablespoons of flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk. Pour filling over the hot crust.

5. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the center is set (toothpick comes out clean). Remove from the oven and cool completely.

6. Remove from the pan by lifting the foil overhang. Cut into bars. Sift powdered sugar over the bars before serving.

When I made this, my pan wasn't large enough, so I had a bit of the crust and the filling left over. Therefore, I made...

Individual Lemon Tartlets


Exact same recipe as above, just served in ramekins. Also, reduce the baking time as needed since the portions are smaller. (I only baked 3 ramekins and halved the baking time.)

Good luck, and have fun!