Lemon Bars

I seriously will never understand why people comment on the amount of fat and sugar used in a cookie or cake recipe. This is a treat, for crying out loud, not a recipe for bran flakes. A serving of these lemon bars is 201 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat. A Cliff bar has more calories and almost the same amount of fat. Have a lemon bar, eat a salad, go for a walk or a run, enjoy life.

This recipe is very similar to one for Danish Lemon Bars shared by a friend over 40 years ago, especially the composition of the crust. I've enhanced the crust both with lemon zest and by substituting almond meal for 1/4 to 1/3 of the flour. Increasing the amount of lemon juice in the filling, as Ko's recipe does, and decreasing the sugar enhances the lemony-ness of the final product.

For the crust, zest the lemon into a bowl with the measured amount of sugar, then rub the mixture together with your fingers. The oils get released into the sugar, further enhancing the lemon flavor. Then add the rest of the ingredients. By the way, the amount of lemon juice needed for the lemon layer (2/3 cup) is missing from the ingredient list. It is listed in the directions though.

STEP 8: Put lemon bar in a bowl and cover with fresh blueberries and whipped cream.

These are the best lemon bars I've ever tasted! Sweetness nicely tempered both by the acidity of the lemons and by the butteriness of the cookie base. And the recipe is so easy! The only thing which surprised me is that the cookie base puffed up like a big bubble while baking. I had to prick it all over with a fork to deflate it. Next time I'll put fork marks all over before it goes into the oven.

Incredibly delicious!!! Ended up using 4 lemons for juice. Used an 8x8 ceramic and came out great with a thicker curd layer after baking about 24 minutes. Usually I'm disappointed with a lack of acidity or citrus flavor and this did not dissappoint. Wouldn't change a thing.

I double line the pan with parchment so that when it is time to cut you don't have to fight with the edges and all of the bars are pretty.

It's easy. And yes, it's a wonderful recipe. Avoid one mistake I made. I took the crust out of the 350 oven, poured the lemon layer ontop and then waited until the oven thermostat said it had gotten down to 300 before putting everything back in to finish baking. Wrong. In the time the oven cooled to 300 the crust had shrunk, allowing the lemon mixture to seep along all 4 sides and get underneath the crust. Be brave--reset, put everything back in, and check carefully for doneness.

Please do NOT use Stevia if you have never used. I used it on recommendation for a recipe and it RUINED it. It has a horrible chemical aftertaste to me. Make sure you like Stevia before you use it in this, and any other recipe. Personally, I'd rather have the sugar and butter. They're lemon bars, you don't eat them every day!

Oil changes the texture of the crust, it bakes differently than butter does. Personally, I would just reduce the amount of sugar to 1 cup in the filling, try it this way and if still too sweet, reduce it to 3/4 cup. Personally, I do not like the taste of Stevia.

As long as you are using a metal sheet, it does not matter. The crust will not set at 350F in 15 minutes if you are using glass or ceramic.

For the Lemon Layer 250g (1¼ cups) Granulated Sugar 33g (¼ cup) All-Purpose Flour 4 large Eggs, at room temperature �� cup of Lemon Juice [<-- omitted] Powdered Sugar, for dusting (optional)

Way way too much sugar. God awfully unhealthy. Consider sweetener options (like a pure Stevia [not the goop they sell in grocery stores which is 1/2+ glucose in various forms]). Same with butter. Use half or less amount in recipe. Add a healthy, but mellow oil, like a high quality canola. Still turns out delicious. One of my favorite treats.

I actually prefer the lemon bar recipe that I have evolved over time. It uses a gingersnap crust, which really adds to the overall taste.

The recipe says 2/3 cup.