Although our “summer” in the Bay Area is supposedly just beginning, I wanted to get some lemon bars made at least before September arrived. There was a BBQ on Saturday that we planned to attend (we never made it, due to Alex’s insane on call weekend, boo) and I thought they would be a great treat. I ended up eating half the batch, no exaggeration.
Lately, I’ve been addicted to buying those seasonal Taste of Home magazines that show up at Costco. I have a very hard time resisting them, even more so when they’re 30% off…. I was browsing through one titled “Best Summer Desserts.” There are 2 lemon bar recipes in the magazine- I went with lemon-lime, since I had a few limes in the fridge. The crust for these bars reminds me of a sugar cookie and the lime zest gives it a subtle tanginess.
These are a great lemon bar version that is just a teeny bit variant from the traditional version. If possible, please use fresh lemon juice, it’s so much more flavorful than store-bought, and totally worth the extra effort! Also, I halved the recipe and put it in an 8-by-8 inch baking dish- it worked great.
Lemon-Lime Bars
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
FILLING:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the lime zest. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.Press into a greased 9-by-13 inch baking dish. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or just until edges are lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in another large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in lemon juice and zest; beat until frothy. Pour over hot crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and store in the fridge. Makes 4 dozen.