Tag Archives: lemon bars

Creamy Lemon Squares

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Pie Bars and tagged with , ,

Creamy Lemon squares

The cold, snowy Chicago winter has given way to a wet, rainy summer. On those rainy days, I turn to the lemon to get my needed sunshine. Yellow and bright like the sun, the fresh and fruity lemon lifts my spirits and brightens my day. Simple and sweet, this classic, creamy lemon bar recipe is easy as pie…..squared. So bake a little sunshine and brighten your day. Your tummy will be happy too.

Creamy Lemon Squares – from Everyday Food

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 level cup all-purpose flour
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Also butter the paper.

To make the crust, beat butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, and mix on low just until blended. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan. Prick dough with a fork and bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

For the filling, whisk together egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice in a large bowl until smooth. Pour over the warm, baked crust and return to oven. Bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. When completely cooled, move to refrigerator and chill until filling is firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove from pan using the paper overhang. Cut into desired number of squares and dust with confectioners sugar.

Meyer Lemon Bars

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Pie Bars and tagged with , ,

Meyer Lemon Bars 1

If you’ve never baked with Meyer lemons you don’t know what you’re missing. A cross between a lemon and mandarin orange, the Meyer lemon is sweeter and less tart than the more common Eureka lemons you typically find the supermarket. These mouth-watering bars are luscious and lemony with a hint of orange flavor that will have you running back for more.

Meyer Lemon Bars
recipe from Group Recipes.com

Makes 16 bars in an 8×8 pan

For the Crust you will need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For the filling you will need:
2 large eggs
1 cup superfine sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp finely grated Meyer lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line the pan with parchment paper with 2 sides overhanging. Lightly butter the parchment paper.

For the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar and salt. Pulse twice to combine. Add butter and pulse several times until mixture looks coarse and butter resembles small peas.

Pour into prepared pan and press down evenly. Bake 20 minutes until lightly golden in color.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. If you can’t find superfine sugar, add sugar to the bowl of a mini food processor and process for about 30 seconds. Add sugar, flour and salt to eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in lemon zest and juice just until combined.

Pour filling over hot crust and return pan to oven. Bake for 18 minutes. Cool pan on a wire rack. When completely cooled, use a sharp knife to loosen cake from edges of pan. Using the parchment overhang, lift out of pan onto a cutting board. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Meyer lemon bars 2