Classis Lemon Bars – But Better
These are my version of a classoc lemon bar…but better.
I love lemon bars! But what I don’t love is when I take my lemon bars out of the oven and they have this foamy, bubbly, weird looking top. I’ve done some research and I’ve found that some people just deal with it and cover it with powdered sugar. Others believe that it is caused by over mixing the filling and incorporating too much air, ok makes sense.
So I tried being super gentle when whisking together the flour, sugar and eggs I then gently strired in the lemon juice. It was better, but still didn’t look right. I did notice that as soon as I poured the filling over the crust it looked as if it was starting to separate. Maybe the mixture needed to be cooked in order to form a more homogenous mixture and dissolve the sugar. So that is exactly what I did and am pleased with the outcome. No more powdered sugar for me!
Check out this pisture for the before and after.
Classic Lemon Bars…But Better!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 12 Tablespoons of Room Temperature Unsalted Butter
- 6 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon of Kosher Salt or 1/8 Teaspoon of Table Salt
- ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 ¾ Cups of All Purpose Flour
Filling:
- 2 Whole Large Eggs
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoon of All-Purpose Flour
- 150 ml Lemon Juice
- 2 Teaspoons of Lemon Zest
Swiss Meringue Topping (Optional):
- 2 Egg Whites
- 100 grams of Granulated Sugar
- ⅛ Teaspoon of Kosher Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon of Cream Tartar
- ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Line an 8” x 8” square pan with parchment paper. Take 2 pieces of parchment paper the width of the pan and line the bottom and up the sides with one so it hangs over the sides. Repeat with the second piece going the other way.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together the butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Add the flour and mix on low until the dough starts to come together.
- Dump the dough into the prepared pan and flatten into an even layer.
- Dock the crust all over with a fork. This will prevent the crust from puffing up.
- Chill the crust for 30 minutes then bake for 20-22 minutes or until a light golden brown.
Filling:
- Lower the oven temperature to 300°F
- In a 2-quart saucepan, using your fingers, massage together the sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in flour.
- Next whisk in the eggs and egg yolks.
- Place over low heat and gently whisk in the lemon juice.
- Increase the temperature to medium and using a spatula gently stir the mixture until it begins to thicken, coats a spatula and you are able to draw a line through it with your finger, about 5-7 minutes. (Could be as long as 7-8 minutes depending on your stove top)
- Remove from heat and strain onto the top of the cooled crust.
- Spread the filling evenly with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
- After the bars have chilled remove them from the pan and slice into bars or squares.
Swiss Meringue Topping (Optional):
- In a heat proof bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar.
- Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Stir the mixture, using a spatula, until it reaches a temperature of 160°F (71°C) and sugar isdissolved.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixture, if using. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high until the mixture is glossing and holds a peak. This should take about 5-6 minutes. It may take longer if using a hand mixer.
- Decorate the squares with the meringue. You can toast the meringue or leave it plain.
