for the custard
4 eggs at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
zest of 3 lemons
for the crust:
10-12 lemon-ginger cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
to serve:
confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Place the cookies in a food processor (or if you are lucky, your Vita-Mix) and pulse until it forms coarse crumbs. It should yield about 2 cups.
Remove to a small bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a well-greased 8×8 inch pan. Bake for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the cookie crust.
Return the pan to the oven and bake 35 minutes or until set and no longer shiny in the middle. Cool completely then sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
My thoughts:
Bar cookies have been popular since the 1930s but it wasn’t until the 1963 publication of the Betty Crocker Cooky Book that lemon bars became popular. While this isn’t the recipe that was published in that book, it is similar in spirit. There are a little more tart than the super sweet originals (which only called for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice!) and instead of crushed Nilla wafers or shortbread crust, I used crushed homemade lemon-ginger cookies which added an extra layer of flavor. Matt loved them and they were a perfect addition to our yearly decade-devoted night.
I made some lemon bars recently using condensed milk. I will have to give these a go
I make lemon bars from scratch regularly, using a recipe from a different Betty Crocker cookbook. Mine seem to inevitably develop a layer of brown crust on top, which looks unappetizing (although maybe that is the origin of the powdered sugar on top), although they are delicious. Any tips on preventing this? Does this happen with your recipe?
Ellie- I am not sure what is causing your brown top. These lemon bars came out with pale yellow tops.
These look AMAZING. I love lemon bars and will definitely be trying them sometime soon!
Gorgeous! A little bit of summer in the middle of winter is always great!
Lemon bars are one of my favorite baked goods. They are so light and delicious. They remind of warm summer days — I’ll need to make some really soon.
Loving the lemon bars! (especially with that particular cookie crust). This is just further reinforcement that I need to start a blog that works its way through the entire BC Cooky Book.
Your lemon bars look heavenly Rachel. My lips puckered as soon as I laid my eyes on them. So refreshing…Thanks for sharing…
I can never get this right. The last time, the crust floated to the top. What the hell.
That’s awful, Jude! I think the trick is making sure the lemon filling is thick and using something heavy (like cookies) for the crust.
talk about birds of a feather! i just posted about lemon bars, too!
Mmmmmmmm… lemon bars! This recipe looks divine!