Simply Perfect Lemon Bars
Lemon bars really never go out of style. They’re a simple, affordable and people young and old just love them! Lemon bars just make me think of summertime. My mom would always make them for us as kids to enjoy as an after dinner treat or to take to a neighborhood BBQ. I remember one time I asked her to make lemons bars for me to sell instead of lemonade! I made a buck pretty quick.The hard thing with lemon bars is that there are so many recipes and they are all slightly different. But which one is the BEST!? After a few tries on different variations I think I found a perfect happy medium between sugar, eggs and lemon juice… and my secret ingredient! Follow along to make these sweet treats!
Simply Perfect Lemon Bars
Crust:
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup sugar
Filling:
1/4 cup flour
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Maldon salt
Preheat oven to 350º and line an 8X8 nonstick baking pan with nonstick spray then parchment paper.
Mix together the flour, butter, sugar and in a food processor until combined, press the mixture into the prepared 8X8 pan. Use your fingers to press the crust evenly across the entire pan and up along the edges just a little.
Pop the crust into the oven for 25 minutes at 350º. After it bakes allow it to cool for 30 minutes before pouring the filling in.
As the crust bakes, work on your filling!
In a large bowl mix the flour and sugar together with a whisk. Then crack in the eggs, one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition.
Whisk in the lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract. It should be smooth and silky now!
Pour the filling into the pan with the crust. Top the filling with 1 teaspoon of the Maldon salt. This is my secret ingredient to make it so delicious and different!
The salt helps bring out its natural sweetness and make its a little richer in flavor.
Bake the lemon bars for about 45 minutes at 350º. Depending on your oven and other elements sometimes it takes a little longer or shorter for the lemon bars to bake. A good way to know if your lemons bars are done is to see if the edges are golden and the center of the pan is set and not jiggly.
Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for about an hour before taking them out of the pan. You should allow them to completely cool before cutting them into little bars!
Finish them off with a little powdered sugar if that’s your jam!
Enjoy! With love+ salt