Sunshine Lemon Bars
For years my loving husband has made it known that lemon bars are his favorite dessert and for years I’ve somehow avoided making them. Twice I’ve made an attempt at them, once in my vegan phase 15 years ago (spoiler alert: they were not good) and another time in my super healthify every recipe phase (spoiler: they were dingy brown and not well received). I think I was afraid that my lemon bars wouldn’t live up to his expectations, so I never gave it my full effort. Oh, how we count ourselves out before we’ve even begun! Finally, over a decade later, I’ve mastered the lemon bar. Funnily enough, it took me one try and less than 30 minutes from start to finish and they are the best lemon bars he’s ever had. Huh, I guess when we believe in ourselves good things do happen!
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
lemon zest from 4 lemons
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8X8 baking pan with parchment paper. I like to cut a larger square and then cut diagonally into each corner a few inches so it will overlap in the corners for a better fit. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, arrowroot powder, and salt. Add the melted butter and almond extract and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible. Pop it into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. While that’s baking, make the filling. In a bowl, mix the sugar and lemon zest. Use your hands to rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils. Mix in the arrowroot powder and salt. Whisk in the eggs and then add the lemon juice. Whisk well before adding the melted and (cooled) butter and whisk again. When the crust is done baking, take it out of the oven. Turn it to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the hot crust and put it back in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes more. The filling will be a little wobbly in the center but not liquidy. Let the bars cool and lift the sides of the parchment to remove from the pan. Cut into squares or triangles and dust with powdered sugar if you’d like! Enjoy ;)
