Tart and Tangy Lemon Bars

As requested by my little brother: lemon bars. After much research, I decided on Alice Medrich’s (AKA the queen of all things sugary and delicious) recipe for “Very Tangy Lemon Bars” from her fairly recent cookbook “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy”. The deliciously creamy lemon topping was an ideal balance of tart and sweet and went perfectly with the rich, crunch of the shortbread cookie crust. Even being more of the chocolate and coffee dessert type of person rather than the fruit type, these lemon bars were delightfully refreshing and tasty!

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 7 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Topping

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugars
• 3 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Line the bottom and all 4 sides of an 8 inch metal baking pan with foil.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F, with a rack in the lower third of the oven.

To make crust: In a medium bowl, combine melted butter with sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add flour and mix just until incorporated. Press dough evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is fully baked, well browned at the edges, and golden in the center.

To Make the Topping: While the crust is baking, stir together sugar and flour in a large bowl until well mixed. Whisk in eggs. Stir in lemon zest and juice.

When the crust is ready, turn the oven down to 300 deg F. Slide the rack with the pan out and pour the filling onto the crust. Bake for 25 to 30 min longer, or until the topping barely jiggles in the center when the pan is tapped. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

Lift out the foil liner and transfer bars to a cutting board. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the bars into desired size. Sift powdered sugar over right before serving. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days, up to a week.

Enjoy! Big thanks to Alice Medrich for the amazing recipe