Lemon Bars

Oh how I love lemon bars!  When we go to potluck dinners I always find myself drawn to the lemon bars.  But then the crazy part is that I always forget about them when it comes time to make desserts at home.  Last night I found myself craving them and went in search of a good recipe.  I might be strange in that I don't like them to be insanely lemony or tart.  So you could definitely modify this recipe to add more lemon zest to make it more tarty.  The crust is a soft, delicious, shortbread base.  I also loved that the lemon filling set up perfectly and wasn't sticky or oozing off the crust (a problem in the past with other recipes).  It's a perfect summer dessert with the lemon flavor.  My husband is more of a chocolate lover and he even went back for seconds of these.  Enjoy!

Lemon Bars adapted from Allrecipes

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/4 cup butter, melted

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 to 1 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven.

Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until bars are set. Shake powdered sugar over bars after taking out of oven. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.  

Tips: I may reduce the temperature to 300 after adding the filling and cook for a little longer at a lower temperature so the crust doesn't become overdone.  Add lemon zest (so as not to throw off the balance by adding too much liquid with lemon juice) if you like them more tart.