Heavenly Lemon Bars--where it all started!

This blog was created December 2009 and here we are in July August 2010 with my very first post!  I probably procrastinated for the same reason I have scrap-boxes instead of scrapbooks:  I'm a perfectionist and am terrible at making decisions that don't really matter.  So, I put it off.  Big things like dating my boyfriend or going to med school sometimes come about more easily than which flavor of ice cream to choose or what video to rent on a Saturday night.  So, I'm biting the bullet and here we are!  

It's really only fitting that my first recipe post is the one that got me hooked on baking!  I've been making these lemon squares since I was 14 and it's the one that I get asked for the most.  They're so buttery and tangy and easy to make, you have no excuse not to try them! 

Heavenly Lemon Squares
adapted from 


2 sticks butter
2 + 1/3  cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra for sprinkling
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest or dried grated lemon peel
1 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Crust:


Mix butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar, press into 9x13" pan.  Bake for 15-20 min. until edges of crust just start to turn brown.  Remove from oven.

Topping:


Beat eggs until light and frothy (about 2-3 minutes--don't skip this part!).  Gradually add granulated sugar while mixing continuously.  Add lemon juice, zest, baking powder and 1/3 cup flour, and mix well.   Pour over hot crust and return to oven.  Bake another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  It's done when it doesn't jiggle when you move the pan.  Let cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar and cutting into squares. 


 

I usually mix the crust with my hands--then press into the bottom of the pan so it looks like this: 

Bake until the crust is just starting to brown around the edges...

Enjoy!!