I shared a bit earlier this summer that my kids have declared this the summer of cooking with mom.  We have spent a ton of time in the kitchen whipping up all kinds of treats from cookies to fresh donuts.  The kids have taken turns picking what the next thing we make together will be.   It was recently my oldest daughter’s turn to pick.  Emily begged to make lemon bars.

I love lemon everything (if you can’t tell by my blog title!).  Lemon meringue pie, lemon poppy seed muffins, lemonade, lemon bread…you name it.  I have a recipe for lemon bars that I love but the kids have complained in the past that it is too tart. However, I love the tart flavor of these bars! I’m not sure where I got this recipe but I’ve been using it for years. I was hesitant to make them with Emily when she asked but she was adamant that she wanted to make the sour lemon bars. Thankfully, my kids’ taste has seem to matured a bit and they appreciated these lemon bars much more than the last time I made them.

The Best Lemon Bars

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• 1/2 (1 stick) of melted butter

For the filling:

• 4 whole eggs
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/3 cups of sugar

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest together with a wire whisk. Using a hand mixer beat the melted butter into the flour mixture until it becomes dry and crumbly.  Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a slightly greased 9 x 9 pan. Use your hands or the back of a spoon to press the crust and even it out.
• Bake your crust for 16 to 19 minutes until it is firm and slightly browned.  While the crust is baking make your filling. Using an electric mixer, mix the eggs, lemon juice, and sugar until well combined.
• After your crust is done baking, poor the filling over the crust while it is still hot.  Bake the bars for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the filling is set. The filling should be firm and not jiggle much when the pan is shaken slightly.
• Allow the bars to cool completely. Once cooled, store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  When you are ready to serve them, dust the bars with powdered sugar and serve.