Recipe

Lemon Bars

By: 

Co+op

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

20 minutes active, 25-40 minutes baking

Servings: 

16 bars

The bright lemon flavor of these bars makes a great finish to a dinner of hearty Mediterranean dishes like pasta or ratatouille. Of course, they’re a delicious midday snack as well.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Sour cream topping (optional)

  • 3/4 cup light sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Filling

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced
  • 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
  • Pinch of salt

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour and confectioner’s sugar together. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your finger suntil the mixture is crumbly. Press the dough into the pan evenly.Bake for 15-17 minutes.
  2. While the crust is baking, whisk the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the filling onto the hot crust. Place the dish back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
  3. Stir together the sour cream and sugar for the topping. Gently spread the sour cream mix evenly over the bars. Bake another 5-7 minutes. Let the bars cool completely before cutting or topping with powdered sugar.

Serving Suggestions

The bright lemon flavor of these bars makes a great finish to a dinner of hearty Mediterranean dishes like pasta or ratatouille. Of course, they’re a delicious midday snack as well.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 271, Fat: 11 g, Cholesterol: 80 mg, Sodium: 119 mg, Carbohydrate: 39 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 4 g