Sunday, May 1, 2011

Easy lemon bar recipe

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THE SCENE: A breezy Sunday evening in spring. Dinner is over and Mommy is cleaning up the kitchen. Hot Dog Boy, the nine-year-old son, enters the kitchen. Fresh from the shower, he's wearing green pajamas and carrying his toothbrush.

HOT DOG BOY
Mommy, you know those lemon bars you make sometimes? Those are my favorites and we haven't had them in a really long time. When are you going to make them again?

MOMMY
[Heart melting but trying to play it straight]: I don't know, honey. We'll see.

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING: Hot Dog Boy emerges from his bedroom wearing his school uniform and rubbing his eyes. He shuffles into the kitchen.

MOMMY
Good morning, sweetie. I've got a surprise for you - look on the counter.

[Hot Dog Boy shuffles over to the kitchen counter and sees the pan of lemon bars Mom made after he went to sleep the night before. He smiles.]

HOT DOG BOY
Can I have three for breakfast?

The end



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Easy lemon bar recipe
This is the easiest lemon bar recipe I've found, and it gets rave reviews every time. Chill the pan at least a few hours before cutting.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9-inch pan with baking spray, then line the pan with aluminum foil (this will make it easier to remove the lemon bars in one piece so you can cut them properly on a cutting board). Spray the aluminum foil with baking spray as well.In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of the flour, 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, the melted butter, and the salt with a fork until a crumbly dough forms. Press the dough into the prepared pan so it covers the bottom and goes about 1/2 inch up the sides. Bake the crust about 15 minutes or until it just starts to turn golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together the remaining 1/8 cup flour, eggs, granulated sugar, baking powder and lemon juice. (I always put the baking powder through a little strainer to be sure the lumps are gone.) Pull the crust out of the oven, pour over the lemon mixture, and return the pan to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the pan.Cool the lemon bars in the pan for half an hour, then refrigerate at least two hours before cutting. This will help you get nice, even edges - and believe me, rushing the process ensures a mess. Cut with a large knife into 9 even squares, like a tic-tac-toe board. Dust the lemon bars with the remaining 2 Tbsp powdered sugar before serving.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 9 lemon bars

24 comments:

averagebetty said...

I have a whole bag of fresh lemons and I've been looking for a lemon bar recipe like my Mom used to make - thank you!

Wonderful meeting you at Camp Blogaway!

Btw, I think my handle on your blog should be "Corn Dog Girl" ;)

Jenn (Cookies Cupcakes Cardio) said...

These look, and sound deliciously light and lemony! Yum....perfect for a warm spring day.

Megan'sCookin' said...

Lemon bars for breakfast? My kind of kid!

alison @ Ingredients, Inc. said...

omg love these

Erika Kerekes said...

@AverageBetty aka Corn Dog Girl: Great meeting you too. I am trying to decide whether I should be Green Garlic Girl (I like the alliteration) or Truffle Girl (for obvious reasons, as you'll see if you look at the posts under the "truffles" tag).

@Jenn and Alison - thanks!

@Megan's - I know, right? :)

renne said...

Yummmmm. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Hi Erika, these look amazing, my eldest daughter will do anything for a good lemon bar - so I'm going to make these!! Do you have a follower widget or should I just sign up to facebook?
Thanks Mary

Sonya said...

Made these yesterday and LOVED them!!! thanks so much for a fantastic recipe that will be made many many more times : )

Erika Kerekes said...

@Renne and Sonya - you're welcome! Sonya, I'm so glad you liked them.

@Inside - you can subscribe to my blog by email or in your reader in the "Stay in touch" section above right. And I'd love to have you on Facebook, too! I do update my Facebook page every time I post a new recipe, so that's a good way to keep track. Wonderful to meet you!

Lisa said...

i made these today and added an extra egg along with the zest from one lemon because lemony things are never lemony enough for me. it came out stellar!

Erika Kerekes said...

Lisa, that's great! Did you add the whole egg, or just the yolk? And I agree about the lemon zest...I just don't like the stringiness of it in these lemon bars. But maybe if I did the filling in the food processor that wouldn't be an issue.

HB Tech said...

Yummy!these sound looks so delicious,i like it.

Thanks for sharing superb post.

Jill Tooley said...

These look incredible, Erika! Seriously, my mouth is watering. I'd love to substitute a few ingredients to make them vegan-friendly...do you think they'd turn out? I was thinking of an egg replacer and dairy-free margarine, but there are a few other subs I could try. As soon as I finish moving, I'm going to make them and let you know! :)

Erika Kerekes said...

Jill, I'm sure the crust would be fine with margarine. As for the lemon curd topping with egg replacer...not sure. Please do come back and tell us how it went, though.

Anonymous said...

I tried them - wonderful!!

Anonymous said...

I just made them. They were perfect. My family loved it. Thank you

Erika Kerekes said...

@Anonymous - now that's what I love to hear. Thanks for letting me know. Big smile on my face right now.

Unknown said...

This really is the best recipe for lemon bars they are a hit every time is make them and family members are always begging me to make them. Simple and delicious thank you!

Erika Kerekes said...

@Unknown you made my day - thanks for letting me know how much your family likes them!

Anonymous said...

Just made this and the top became a creme brûlée by accident, I think.

Erika Kerekes said...

@Anon - was that a bad thing?

Jess said...

Should it be creme brûlée like? Mine also came out that way. Did I wisk the egg mixture to much?

Erika Kerekes said...

@Jess - are you saying the lemon curd part was very loose? Did you refrigerate it for a few hours before cutting? It will definitely be runny unless it's cold.

Recetas al instante said...

I made it and they look so good.
Thank you so much.
Olga.

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