Friday, September 25, 2015

The BEST Lemon Bars


Last weekend I was entrusted with a very important task...to make some treats for a tea party. Now, I've been asked to make goodies before (at least once a week), but this time the event was very dear to my heart, my daughter's baby shower! Yes, I am going to be a first time grandma....a seriously young grandma :-), but a grandma nonetheless. These are very exciting times and as you can imagine, the treats had to be stellar....

Mama-to-be had a few treat requests, mostly involving chocolate. Those were easy for me. Chocolate and I are old friends. But I needed to add a something for the citrus lovers in the group and Lemon Bars seemed the logical choice. First though, I had to research.


The perfect lemon bar...sweet, lemon-y gooeyness on top of a buttery shortbread crust.


I searched the Internet for the perfect recipe. Sweet, but not cloying. Lemon-y, but not too tart. In the end, I mashed up a couple of best. One was Ina Garten's recipe and the other, Ree Drummond's recipe. The result? Perfection.



The BEST Lemon Bars

Lemon-y, sweet, gooey, and beautiful. These lemon bars are truly the best!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.; spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  2. Cream the butter and the sugar until light. Stir in the flour and salt until the mixture just comes together. Turn into the prepared pan and press the dough evenly on the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Cool.
  3. While the crust cools, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour evenly over the cooled crust. Return to oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until set. Cool completely. Generously dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares or triangle.



Next up...Pink or Blue? Reveal Cupcakes spill the beans!

5 comments:

  1. Are these Ina's or Ree's? Either way they do look fantastic!

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    Replies
    1. They are a combination of both...somewhere in between. :) More like Ina's, but with less sugar and a touch less lemon juice. That part is more like Ree's.

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  2. I'm sure they were a big hit at the shower and congratulations on becoming a very young grandmother in the not too distant future, that is wonderful. :)

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  3. Confused on what sugar and flour goes to what...

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