I had a surplus of lemons just hanging around from Thanksgiving, and in the back of my mind for the last few weeks was the idea to use them for lemon bars. But I was certain that the two lemons I had was not going to be enough for a whole pan of bars. It wasn’t until I pulled out my recipe and refreshed my memory that I discovered that they actually used very little lemon juice at all! Two lemons was going to be the perfect amount for a batch of lemon bars, which got me wondering why I hardly ever make them.
Well, I’m sure that won’t be the case anymore, because Zander has discovered that he LOVES Lemon Bars! I thought he would, but since I haven’t made them in ages, I didn’t really know for sure. He loves lemon and lime anything, so I was fairly confident about the Lemon Bars. Indeed, he is a huge fan, and bumped them right to the top of the list for his favorite cookie. Until today, of course, but I’ll share that cookie with you tomorrow.
This is the exact same recipe that I grew up with my mom making. Delicious, and easy, they’re a great addition to any cookie platter, any time of the year, really. The one adjustment I’ve made is to increase the amount of lemon juice in the filling. I wanted to see if I could bump it up a tablespoon or two, and it worked just fine, increasing the lemony goodness of each bite.
The most vital part of making good lemon bars is that you MUST use fresh lemon juice. The bottled lemon flavored water just won’t do. I keep that on hand for canning purposes only. Buy yourself a nice pair of plump lemons and you should be good to go.
Lemon Bars Supreme
2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup melted butter 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon) 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juiceDirections:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Combine the 2 cups flour, powdered sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined, and then press into a 9×13 baking pan.
Bake in a 350ºF oven for 20 minutes.
While the crust is baking, combine the remaining flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture over the hot crust and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.
Combine the powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice. Glaze the lemon bars while they are still warm.