These shortbread crust lemon bars are one of my favorite cookies of all time — although technically, they're closer to a pie than a cookie. Nothing prepares you for that intense, awesome sweet and tart lemon-flavored custard, perfectly contrasted against crisp, sweet, buttery shortbread cookie.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour: 1 cup
- unsalted butter at room temperature: 0.5 cup
- confectioners' sugar: 0.25 cup
- vanilla extract: 0.25 tsp
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- eggs: 2 piece
- egg yolks: 1 piece
- white sugar: 1 cup
- all-purpose flour: 2 Tbsp
- lemon juice: 0.25 cup (freshly squeezed)
- freshly grated lemon zest: 1 Tbsp
- confectioners' sugar: 1 tsp (to taste)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Set an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.
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Make crust: Use the back of a spatula or wooden spoon to mash flour and butter in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Mix in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt until mixture resembles slightly crumbly cookie dough. Moisten your fingers with a little water and press dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Use a fork to prick holes all over crust.
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Bake on the middle rack in the preheated oven until edges are barely golden brown, about 22 minutes. Set aside.
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Make custard: Beat together eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in white sugar and flour until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest; whisk for 2 minutes. Pour over warm crust.
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Bake on the center rack until custard is set and the top has a thin white sugary crust, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
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Dip a knife into very hot water, then run the blade around the edges and cut into 16 squares. Dust bars with confectioners' sugar. sanzoe
