I am currently watching an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Snack Attack" on the Food Network. It is reminding me of this very post that I've had in my head for about a week. I remember Lemon Squares being more of a go-to dessert for me rather than a snack, but seeing how Adam and I have been doing a lot of snacking with this particular item this week, it seems only fair that I share it with all of you.
I love lemon squares. As a kid, there were several dishes my mom made that stood out as favorites. Lemon squares were one of them-this is interesting for me because otherwise, lemons really weren't a huge draw. I don't care much for any sort of lemon pie, and lemon cake, while tasty, is something I never crave. I don't even like lemon in my water, and have to be in a mood for lemonade. But these lemon squares...oh, I could always be in a mood for lemon squares. It's quite possibly the only dessert I liked my mom to make as much as this one. Even now, my mouth waters just to think about it. The middle was slightly gooey and the crust nice and crisp, with some powdered sugar on top to take away a bit of the tartness from the lemon. They were just awesome, plain and simple.
I have no idea where she got the recipe. Even now, with all of the recipes she had in a drawer in our kitchen, I can't figure out where it came from because it's not in there. I've tried other recipes in the past and they didn't quite compare. Sometimes the bar was just too crunchy and dry, and other times it just didn't taste right.
This past weekend, I knew I had a lot of lemons in the drawer that needed to be used, so I hunted for a recipe that I thought might work. After perusing the internet, I found a recipe by Ina Garten that seemed to be okay, and got a lot of good reviews.
Kids, I've found the lemon square from my childhood. It was exactly right, even if it wasn't prepared the way I remember it. It was gooey (admittedly, I think I underbaked it a little), the crust was like a butter cookie-but not too crunchy, and the filling was a perfect blend of sweet and tart. This is a winner recipe, and definitely will go in the arsenal of good ol' standbys.
Lemon Squares (recipe obtained from Ina Garten and the Food Network)
Ingredients
For the crust:
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature (I actually melted it instead)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
For the filling:
6 eggs at room temperature
3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons-I found I had enough at 4 lemons, even if I planned to do 5)
1 c. lemon juice (if you don't squeeze your own, using bottled is fine, which is what I did)
1 c.flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To make the crust:
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy using either a stand mixer or a portable electric mixer. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter mixture until just blended. Place the dough in a lined pan and spread out to the edges using your hands or a spatula. Chill for about 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let it cool while you prepare the filling (but keep the oven on at 350 degrees!)
For the filling, combine together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Whisk until well blended. Pour over the cooled crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set (Note: This can depend on how hot your oven runs. I had to keep mine in for roughly 45 minutes). Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into bars and dust with confectioners' sugar. If necessary, hide them from people in your household so there's more for you. :)
