{{ :recipes:perfect_lemon_bars.jpg?direct&200|}} ====== Perfect Lemon Bars ====== /* Description */ **Why this recipe works:** For our perfect lemon bar recipe, we tackled the crust first. White granulated sugar is often the first option bakers turn to for the sort of crust we were after, but we discovered that confectioners' sugar gave us the tenderest texture. The addition of a little cornstarch also helped move the crust in the melt-in-your-mouth direction. To make the filling lemony enough for our lemon bar recipe, we ended up using the juice from three or four lemons, plus some zest. Arriving at a smooth and pleasant texture involved eggs, a little flour for thickening, and, somewhat unexpectedly, milk, which seemed to balance the flavor with the texture. {(rater>id=100|name=Perfect Lemon Bars|type=rate|headline=off)} |**Preheat:** 350°|**Yield:** 24 squares|| |**Prep:** 0:00|**Wait:** 0:00|**Cook:** 0:00| ====== Ingredients ====== **The crust:** * 1 cups flour * 2/3 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for decoration * cup cornstarch * tsp. salt * 12 tbl. unsalted butter at very cool room temp., cut into 1-inch pieces **Lemon filling:** * 4 large eggs, beaten lightly * 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar * 3 tbl. flour * 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest from 1 large lemon * 2/3 cup juice from 3 large lemons, strained * 1/3 cup whole milk * 1/8 tsp. salt ====== Directions ====== - **For the crust:** Lightly butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with one sheet of parchment paper. Dot paper with butter and then lay a second sheet crosswise over the first. - Pulse flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor to blend. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and press firmly with fingers into even, -inch layer over entire pan bottom and about inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake crust until golden brown about 20 minutes. - **For the filling:** While crust is baking, whisk eggs, sugar and flour in a medium bowl then stir in lemon juice, zest, mile and salt to blend well. - To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Holding edges of parchment paper, lift whole cake out of pan and transfer to cutting board, fold paper down sides and cut into serving-size squares or bars, wiping knife clean between cuts. Sieve more powdered sugar over bars, if desired. ====== Notes ====== /* Nutrition block - remove the slash-asterisk and asterisk-slash from just above and below the following block */ /* ====== Nutrition ====== |Calories (kcal): |Fat Calories (kcal): |Cholesterol (mg): |[[recipes:notes:nutrition guidelines |(Guide)]] | |Fat (g): |Saturated Fat (g): |Mono Fat (g): |Poly Fat (g): | |Protein (g): |Carbohydrates (g): |Sodium (mg): |Fiber (g): | */ {{tag>Recipes Dessert/Bar-Brownie AmericasTestKitchen/CooksIllustrated }} /* Recipe Tags - Copy and paste tags from the list below to the tag list in the above line, replacing the "TagsNeeded" tag and separated by spaces. */ /* ---Recipe Types--- Appetizer Beverage Beverage/Cocktail Beverage/Liquor-Mixer Bread Bread/Biscuit-Roll Bread/Muffin Bread/Quickbread Brines-Marinades-Rubs Breakfast Casserole Canning-Freezing Condiment Dessert Dessert/Bar-Brownie AmericasTestKitchen/CooksIllustrated Dessert/Cake Dessert/Cake/Frosting Dessert/Candy-Chocolate Dessert/Crisp-Buckle Dessert/Cookie Dessert/Custard-Curd Dessert/IceCream Dessert/Pie Dessert/Pie/Crust Dessert/Topping Dip-Spread Entertaining Fondue Grilling-BBQ Grilling-BBQ/BBQSauce Holiday Kid-Friendly MainDish MainDish/Beef MainDish/Poultry MainDish/Pork MainDish/Seafood Pasta-Rice Pizza Roast Salad Salad/Dressing Sandwich Sauce-Gravy Sausage-Pate Seasoning Side SlowCooker Snack Soup Stew-Braise Stir-Fry Vegetarian ---Recipe Cuisines--- American American/Cajun-Creole American/Southern American/TexMex Asian Asian/Chinese Asian/Indian Asian/Japanese Asian/Korean Asian/Thai Asian/Vietnamese European European/Belgian European/Czech European/Dutch European/English European/French European/German European/Greek European/Polish European/Irish European/Italian European/Portuguese European/Russian European/Scandinavian European/Spanish European/Swiss Latin Latin/Brazilian Latin/Mexican MiddleEastern MiddleEastern/Ethiopian MiddleEastern/Jewish MiddleEastern/Lebanese ---Recipe Sources--- 365Recipes 365Recipes/Grilling 365Recipes/Chicken 365Recipes/Pasta AmericasTestKitchen AmericasTestKitchen/CooksCountry AmericasTestKitchen/CooksIllustrated BetterHomesGarden BonAppetit Chowhound FineCooking FoodWine GoodEats Gourmet Jennivines HDawson LMaidment TMaidment AMarcos DMarcos JMarcos KMarcos JPhalen DPendergast ---Recipe Ratings--- 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1★ No★ ---Recipe Alerts--- RecipeNeeded RecipeIncomplete RecipeWrong RecipeFails TagsNeeded */ ~~DISCUSSION~~