Along with sweets, something tart

By Rosie Hawthorne on December 20, 2012

Welcome to Day 7 of my corybantic Christmas baking.

My gift baskets are not complete without some sort of lemon confection.

Today, I’m making the Ultimate Sour Lemon Bars — combining a short bread base with a tart lemony custard topping.

Ultimate Sour Lemon Bars
Crust:
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
Pinch salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 cup strained fresh lemon juice
3 TB flour
2 ½ TB grated lemon peel
Powdered sugar

For crust:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan with 2-inch high sides and line with buttered foil, extending 1 inch above 2 sides of the pan. Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in, pulsing, until mixture is crumbly. Add vanilla and process until dough begins to come together. Press dough evenly into prepared baking pan and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Prepare topping: Whisk eggs and two cups sugar until well-combined. Whisk in lemon juice, then flour, and then zest. When crust has baked, reduce heat to 325 degrees and pour filling over top of crust. Bake until sides are set and filling no longer moves in center when pan is shaken, about 20-22 minutes. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Using foil sides, lift lemon confection from pan. Cut into 16 squares, then cut each square diagonally, forming a triangle. Sift powdered sugar over top and pucker up!

Please visit with Rosie at Kitchens Are Monkey Business to see what’s baking today.

For last year’s Day 7 offering to our readers, please check out The Outer Banks Voice for my Cranberry Coconut Macaroons.

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