Pucker Up!

I decided to make lemon bars with the Meyer Lemons I had gotten from Jay's Fruit stand, and so I searched the googles for a while. I settled on this recipe from Diane's Desserts because she didn't use as much sugar as other recipes. And, oh! they are so good! Tangy, tart but still very sweet lemon bars. Here's the recipe:

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz/113g) unsalted butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon peel

Topping:
Sifted confectioners' sugar, (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly spray a 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray OR lightly grease pan with butter. Line the baking pan with parchment paper, extending paper over edges of pan so it is easier to lift the lemon squares out of the pan after cooling. This will make cutting the squares alot easier.

For Crust:
Add flour, butter (or margarine if using), confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon peel and the salt to food processor container fitted with a steel blade; cover. Process mixture until coarse crumbs form. Press mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Note:
Clean food processor container and steel blade for next step.

For Filling:
Combine granulated sugar, eggs, lemon juice and the 2 teaspoons lemon peel in cleaned food processor container and process until well blended. Pour evenly over warm crust.

To Bake and Finish:
Bake for 20 minutes, or until center is set and edges are golden brown. Transfer baking pan to wire rack and cool to room temperature then chill for 2 hours before cutting into squares or bars.

Cutting the Squares:
Using the edges of parchment paper to lift lemon squares out of pan, transfer lemon squares to a large plate or clean work surface, remove parchment paper and cut into squares. If desired, sift confectioners' sugar over bars before serving. Bar cookies keep, covered and chilled for up to 3 days.

Tip:
If you do not have a food processor, combine the crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a pastry cutter or fork until coarse crumbs form. Bake as stated above. Then, in another mixing bowl, blend together filling ingredients until smooth. Continue with recipe as stated above.

Makes 12-16 squares.