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Incredible Lemon Bars

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Lemon Filling

  • 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice from about 3-4 medium-sized lemons
  • 3 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1/3 cup +2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line your 9x13 pan with foil or parchment paper. I've used both. Foil tends to stick to the bottom of the lemon bars a bit, so if I had to choose one, I'd say use parchment paper.
  • Combine crust ingredients and mix well. Press into pan using the back of a spoon or your hands. Hands work well. I like to first get the crust spread evenly, then I try and push the edges of the crust up just a bit so that it holds the filling better.
  • Bake crust for 20 minutes. While crust is baking, prepare ingredients for the filling.
  • I learned a trick to get more lemon juice out of fresh lemons- put them in the microwave for 15 seconds just prior to juicing them. I haven't done any scientific research to see if this works, but I did get more than the required 2/3 cup! Also, I find it's much easier to grate the outside of the lemon for the zest prior to juicing it!
  • Mix all filling ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl.
  • Once crust is done, allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes, preferably in front of a fan so that it cools to room temperature, or close to it.
  • Pour filling onto crust. Carefully put back into oven. Bake for about 35 minutes, watching the last 5 minutes that it doesn't brown excessively.
  • Remove from oven and dust top with powdered sugar. Allow to cool a few hours before cutting. {If you don't have a few hours, then place them in the fridge after a while, to cool faster.}

Notes

Adapted from Allrecipes.com