Lemon Bars

A very good friend of mine at work had her last day a couple of weeks ago Friday. Very sad day for us. She never failed to make me laugh. Her request was something lemony. I decided to try make lemon bars. I have had issues to say the least in making lemon bars in the past. Many times they end up being soup with crust. This recipe did it! Success! Not too sweet, not too tart, not soupy!

Butter for greasing the pan
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
6 large eggs
2¼ cups sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan.

Combine 2 cups of the flour (reserve 1/2 cup), the powdered sugar, and the salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and blend with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Press into the greased pan, pushing the dough all the way up the sides. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes, then remove and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 315°F.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Gently stir in the lemon juice and zest. Fold in the remaining ½ cup flour until well combined. Allow to sit for several minutes to let the air bubbles to release.

Pour the egg mixture over the hot crust and bake until the curd is set, about 35 minutes. Cool thoroughly (couple of hours) before cutting into bars.