It was so miserably cold and rainy around here today, so I got all my tools ready and did what I always do…bake!
As you know, I am a lemon lover through and through. Even when I was younger, I would pass over the chocolate dessert and go for lemon one every time. I have baked lemon bars before, however, these bars caught my eye because of their name. I couldn’t think of a more beautiful combination than sweet and tart. I knew I had to try it.
When you think of lemon tart so many words come to mind, such as vibrant, bright, and tangy. For this recipe, you add a little bit of sweet to it and it becomes heavenly.
This is the perfect dessert, it is light and smooth with a great lemon flavor and wonderful silky texture. It is sitting on top of a nice thick, buttery shortbread crust that is just enough to hold up to it without getting soggy. The tanginess of the lemon gets tamed by the sweetness of the sugar. The creaminess of the filling is enhanced by the delicate, crunchy crust. I must say, this gloomy day turned out pretty damn good.
This recipe is courtesy of Jessica Battilana and will make 20 small bars that bring a unique flavor experience like you have never had before.
Ingredients for Sweet and Tart Lemon Bars
For the crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
5 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2/3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup of lemon juice (from 5 to 6 large lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
To make the crust:
Line a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on both of the short ends of pan (this will make it easier to remove bars from the pan).
In a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the mixer to low and add the flour and salt.
Mix until the dough comes together into a ball.
With your fingers, press the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer.
Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and reduce the oven temperature to 325.
To make the filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth.
Whisk in the lemon juice and zest and the heavy cream.
Pour over the warm crust, then return to the oven and bake until lemon mixture is set, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack (if you want to try them chilled, pop the pan into the fridge once it’s cooled down to room temperature).
Just before serving, dust with a generous snowdrift of confectioners’ sugar and cut into bars.
It’s that simple!
