Lemon Bars
Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Yield: one 9x13 pan
SHORTBREAD BASE:
2 c. flour
½ c. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. butter, cut into small cubes (plus more for greasing pan)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan with the end of a cube of butter (get the corners!)
In a stand mixer bowl - stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.
Add the butter cubes and mix on medium until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Press into the prepared pan and bake until golden around the edges, about 18-20 minutes.
While the shortbread base cooks:
FILLING:
1 ½ c. sugar
¼ c. flour
4 large eggs
½ c. fresh lemon juice
3 TB fresh lemon zest (loosely packed)
*About 3 medium lemons needed for this juice/zest amount*
Powdered sugar- for topping after baking
In the empty stand mixer bowl, stir together the sugar and flour.
Crack in the eggs, and whisk to combine (I find using a whisk by hand works best to get it all evenly mixed)
Add the lemon zest and juice, and mix until combined.
When the crust is done, pull it out of the oven and pour the filling mixture over top. It will be a bit liquid-y and flow to the corners. Bake until filling is set, about 20 minutes. Don’t over bake - filling will still wiggle just a little.
Allow to cool on the counter, then in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, then sift
powdered sugar over the top before cutting into squares. Store leftovers in fridge.
*The texture on top of the bars changes after storing in the fridge overnight. I recommend only putting powdered sugar on what you’ll serve soon, then top remaining bars with powdered sugar when you take them out of the fridge to serve/eat.
