The Ultimate Sour Lemon Bars Recipes

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides; spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• For the crust: Add the flour, cornstarch, confectioners' sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 10 times until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, about 30 times. (The dough will not come together in one mass.) Sprinkle the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and lightly pat it down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the filling: Combine the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk continuously over medium heat, occasionally scraping down the sides and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, until simmering and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter until combined.
• Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the crust and bake until just set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Use the foil overhang to lift the bars from the pan. Remove the foil and slice into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

THE ULTIMATE SOUR LEMON BARS

Steps:

• For Crust: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 9 inch swuare pan with 2 inch high sides with foil, extendiing 1 inch above sides of pan. Butter 2 uncovered sides of pan, Combine flour powdered sugar and salt in processor, add buttered and cut in using on/off turns until mixture appears sandy. Add vanilla and process until dough begins to come together. Press dough evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake crust until golden brown about 28 minutes. Meanwhile prepare topping. Whisk eggs and 2 cups sugat in amedium bowl to blend. Whisk in lemon juice then all purpose flour. Strain into another bowl. Mix in grated lemon peel. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour filling over hot crust. Bake until sides are set and filling no longer moves in center when pan is shaken about 22 minutes. Cool on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Using foil sides as aid, lift dessert from pan. Fold down foil sides. Cut into 16 squares.

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
• Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch or 9-by-9-inch baking pan, preferably nonstick.
• In a stand mixer or food processor, combine crust ingredients. Mix or pulse until well combined and moist clumps form. Using your hands, press mixture evenly but gently into prepared pan.
• Bake crust until edges and top are light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate once for even browning.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.
• Pour filling over hot parbaked crust and return to the oven. Bake until filling is almost set, about 20 minutes more. (Thicker squares, baked in the 9-by-9-inch pan, will take longer.) Start checking after 15 minutes; when you give the pan a gentle shake, filling should be lightly set all over and still quivery in the very center.
• Let lemon bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle the top lightly and evenly with confectioners' sugar.
• Cut into squares, diamonds or rectangles and remove from pan. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. If desired, sprinkle again with confectioners' sugar just before serving.