We interrupt this Felt February business to talk about cravings. As I've mentioned before, I love to cook and bake but, as I've also mentioned before, I am very busy (just like everyone else! Hooray!). That's why I have a whole section of crafts devoted to things that can be made quickly (Busy Bits Crafting) and a whole other section for cooking (Busy Bits Cooking). These bars do not fall into that category so thank goodness I had some time because I needed these! I craved these! And absolutely nothing was going to assuage the hunger until I got one (or two or three) of these bars! Yes, when the Lemon Bars demand your attention, you give it to them.
They're not all that hard to make, and there is a certain satisfaction to making things from scratch. But I call them the Lemon Bars of Love because they are everything I've ever wanted in a lemon bar: a crust somewhere between shortbread and sugar cookie and topping that can be both lip-smacking tart and rich with a fudginess that I associate with good brownies. Oh, and it calls for two sticks of butter, so you know it's a good recipe! Hungry yet?
2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter
Preheat oven to 350 with the rack in the middle position. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. Mix the flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Cut each stick of butter into 8 pieces and toss in the dry mix. Using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingers, start working the butter into the dry ingredients until it is coarse with small (pea-size) lumps.
Dump into the pan and mash and spread to the edges pf the pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden at edges.
Lemon Topping
4 fork-beaten eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup unsifted flour
While the crust is baking, you can get to work on the actual lemon part. In the bowl of a mixer (or a large mixing bowl, if you don't have a mixer), combine eggs and sugar until blended and creamy. Mix in the lemon juice, then add salt and baking powder and mix again. Finally add the flour and blend until thoroughly combined (a lower speed is better). The mix will be runny, but rather attractive, and not the weird fake yellow you'll see so often.
Pour it on top of the baked crust and put it back in the oven (still at 350) for 30-35 minutes. When done, remove the pan and place it on a cooling rack. If you wish to sprinkle it with additional powdered sugar, you can (although honestly, I never do). Then just let it cool and cut it into bars!
Tuck in!
I'll admit they aren't the prettiest to look at, but you know what is attractive? Watching everyone's eyes light up when they take a bite!
