The Lovely Lemon

We went over to a friend's house Friday night.  She had made some lemon bars, which are one of my husband's favorites.  On our way home, he asked if I could make him some lemon bars some time soon.  Being the dutiful, obedient wife that I am (I'll wait for you to stop laughing.  No really, I've got all day here..) I decided it would be a good blog post.

I found a recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook:

Luscious Lemon Bars

2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sifter powdered sugar
2 TB cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 TB all-purpose flour
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
3/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. half-and-half, light cream, or milk
Powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl combine the 2 cups flour, the 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Bake in a 350 oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden.

2. Meanwhile, for the filling, in a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, granulated sugar, the 3 TB flour, lemon peel, lemon juice, and half-and-half.  Pour filling over hot crust.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until center is set.  Cool on a wire rack.  Sift powdered sugar over top.  Cut into bars.  Cover and store in the refrigerator.






My notes:
- Let the butter rise in temperature a little, but don't soften completely.  Cut into small chunks to make cutting it into the dry ingredients easier.
- I have never owned a pastry blender.  I use a fork.  It works just fine.
- I didn't have a lemon peel to shred, so I left it out.  It really adds more to the visual than the flavor.
- I used Fat Free half-and-half because it's what I have on hand.

The result.............YUM!  The crust has a shortbread flavor and texture.  The filling set perfectly. 

I think I'll go have one with my coffee this morning.  I'm starting to learn that fruit can, in fact, make delicious desserts. Yes, I know pastry chefs around the world have known this little tidbit of information for decades, but I'm a die hard chocaholic.  My personal growth through this experience is astonishing, don'tcha think?

Thanks for reading!  On to the next baking adventure......

xo, Shell