Sweet
From: Mom

Golden Lemon Squares

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

6 tablespoons lemon juice*

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional, helps the liquid set faster)

Powdered sugar sprinkled on top, after baking

Crust

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups flour

Original Source

This recipe is from the 5/8/91 San Jose Mercury News.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9” x 13” (or slightly smaller) pan.

  2. For crust, combine butter, sugar, and flour until well blended. This can be done in a food processor.

  3. Pat down dough evenly in pan, and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

  4. Meanwhile, make topping. This can be done in the same food processor. Combine topping ingredients until well blended and smooth.

  5. Pour mixture over baked crust and return to oven to bake 18 minutes more or until golden.

  6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional powdered sugar. The best way to do this is to put a couple of spoonfuls in a small strainer, and use a spoon to lightly push the sugar through.

  7. Let cool, and cut into squares.

Mel's Notes

A dusting wand helps with sprinkling the powdered sugar at the end. Cornstarch helps to make these solid faster, but being able to let them sit and cool helps too. You may want to refrigerate these or freeze them before bringing them somewhere, to help them retain their structure in transit, if you are bringing them somewhere.

Notes from Mom

*I like to add another 1-2 teaspoons of juice to make the bars more tart.

When I make the lemon bars, I usually use 7 tablespoons of lemon juice or a little bit more. When choosing lemons, pick ones that feel heavy for their size and smell good. Assume that you can get about 2 tablespoons of juice per lemon.

Love,
Mom