The joy of lemon (bars)

It's Spring and I'm in the mood for anything with lemons.  I have several recipes I plan on making and posting for you, but today I decided to make these delicious lemon bars. As I've said before, most of the recipes I post here are not my own personal creations. They are mostly recipes I have used for several years and simply want to share with my friends.

I found this one through "Joy of Baking". Here's a link to an instructional video.
Official Joy of Baking Lemon Bars VIDEO!

Even though you can get this recipe online, and see the pictures and watch the video.....I'm still going to post the recipe and my pictures for you here - it's REALLY easy and so yummy.

Lemon Bars

Shortbread Crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (I leave my butter out for several hours or the night before to ensure creaminess)
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 C all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt

Lemon Filling:
1 C granulated white sugar (I like to use baking sugar, which is very fine and mixes easily)
2 large eggs
1/3 C freshly squeezed lemon juice ( approximately 2 lemons)
1 TBL grated lemon zest (I use the zest of one lemon because I like it!)
2 TBL all purpose flour

Topping:
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350, with rack in center of oven. Butter an 8x8 inch pan (I like to use parchment with the ends hanging over so I can lift it out of the pan) I used the spray to help the parchment stick to the pan.

2. For the crust, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and and mix JUST until dough comes together. Do not over mix! Press into bottom of pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a rack while you make the filling.

3. For the filling, mix together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Zest the lemon FIRST, then add the juice, stirring to combine.  Fold or whisk in the flour. Pour the filling onto the crust and bake for 20 minutes or until the filling has set and does not "jiggle".  Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.

To serve, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. These are best eaten the day they are made but will last for a day or two of stored in the refrigerator.



Honestly....that's not a bite out of the one in front....it just crumbled. Really...it did.

As an aside - I love these presentation papers:
Lovely dessert papers!