Cooking With Maddie Newsletter #70
Lemon Bars
Hi friends!
Fool’s spring is here, and it’s ready to torment us all. Warm, sunny days followed by days of freezing rain and crazy wind is our reality, and I for one am left confused on what to wear and what to eat. Some days, I’m walking Charlie in shorts and a t-shirt, sweating my ass off. The next? My winter coat is back out, and I’m in wool socks. It’s just that time of year, I guess.
I am so ready for a proper spring, and I’m doing everything in my power to manifest it. I’m putting away my winter sweaters. I’m starting to plan my garden. And I’m saying goodbye to all my cozy, winter recipes, and hello to all foods fresh and bright. Hello crunchy salads, juicy fruit, and sizzling meat on the grill.
This week’s recipe is all part of my efforts to summon spring. We’re making Lemon Bars. Now, when you’re making lemon bars, you can think about it two parts — the “bar” part, which is made from blitzing flour, powdered sugar, butter and eggs in a food processor — yes, you’ll need a food processor for this recipe. I’m sorry if you don’t have one, but I’d say it’s worth the investment!— and then there’s the “lemon” part, which turns out to be a tart, creamy, custardy slice of heaven. Neither part is too challenging. I’d say the hardest part of the recipe is waiting for these bad boys to chill in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but I have very little patience when it comes to waiting for a dessert to set. I want my lemon bar now!
Here’s what you’ll need for the “bar” part of Lemon Bars—
2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
⅓ cup (40 grams) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
2 egg yolks — save your egg whites for an omelet or meringue
For the “lemon” part of Lemon Bars, you’ll need —
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest — I used the zest of two lemons
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
⅔ cup lemon juice — this took 3 lemons
¼ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar for dusting
You’re going to start by making the “bar” part of the lemon bars. Place a rack in the middle of your oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F.
Line a 9x13 baking dish — or similar size — with parchment paper. My trick is to spray the pan with PAM first, so the parchment sticks to the pan. Leave an overhang, so it’s easy to remove the lemon bars from the dish.
In a food processor, pulse together your flour, powdered sugar and salt. Add your chilled, cubed butter pieces to the food processor, pulsing until the mixture is sandy, and no large butter chunks remain. Add your two egg yolks and pulse again until combined.
Transfer the mixture to your prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the mixture into a compressed layer. Bake the crust for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
While your crust is baking, you’re going to prepare the “lemon” part of the lemon bars. In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. This will be super fragrant and will tint the sugar yellow. Add your 3 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk and 3 tablespoons flour to the bowl and whisk to combine. Then add your ⅔ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup whole milk and ½ teaspoon salt, and whisk again to combine. Set aside.
When you take your crust out of the oven, let cool for 5 minutes. Then pour the lemon filling over the slightly cooled crust, and gently tap the pan on the counter to pop any air bubbles. I also sometimes do this with a fork.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the lemon filling is set but still a little jiggly. Let the lemon bars cool at room temp, and then chill in the fridge until cold — at least a few hours.
Use the parchment overhang to remove the lemon bars from the baking pan, and cut into squares. Dust the lemon bars with powdered sugar and serve!
One thing I feel like I have to address with this recipe is that it calls for 6 eggs, and in this economy!! I apologize. I’m sure you can find some eggless lemon bar recipe out on the interwebs, but this is not that. I love eggs, and I cannot lie. And even though they’ll cost you an arm and a leg, I almost feel like it’s worth it if you’re turning them into something as delicious as lemon bars.
For what’s been giving me life recently, it’s been enjoying every day outside that I can. I’ve been loving working from my backyard, and can’t wait until I can do it every day. It’s been making homemade pizza dough with my sourdough starter and practicing the reverse-sear method on our steaks. It’s been this chicken shawarma recipe. It’s the Sour Patch Kids Watermelon Jelly Beans.
It’s been reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and watching Severance. I haven’t watched the finale yet, so no one text me spoilers!! It’s been testing different cake recipes, so we can make a decision on what type of wedding cake we want. So far, the olive oil cake is the top choice. It’s this cutie shamrock oxalis plant that makes us feel like every day is St. Patrick’s Day. But more than anything, the thing making me smile has been seeing Charlie back to his normal, healthy, tennis ball-loving self.
For what’s not been giving me life, it’s the KU Jayhawks losing in the first round of march madness. Like, seriously?!!?!
