Meyer Lemon Bars

I've been on the search for meyer lemons for such a long time. For years I kept hearing about them, reading about them, seeing them on tv, but I just couldn't find them! For a lemon lover, this was torture. I had just about given up when I saw a box at Wegman's a few weeks ago. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them!

(Ross is such a good hand model, isn't he?)

Lemon bars are kind of like chocolate chip cookies for me. I am always looking for that perfect recipe. The crust needs to be buttery and firm, not too soggy and not too crisp. The filling needs to be tart and not too sweet. I want a lemon bar that will make my mouth pucker. It should have plenty of lemon juice and lemon zest! And most important, the filling needs to be plentiful. I like a lemon bar with a high filling to crust ratio. This recipe definitely fits the bill! The ratio of sweet to tart is perfect. The only thing I may change next time is to increase the filling recipe by 50% to get a taller bar. Whether I'm using meyer lemons or regular lemons, this is officially my go to lemon bar recipe!

Recipe: Meyer Lemon Bars
The Crust From: My Baking Addiction
Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
  
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks) at
• very cool room temperature, cut into
• 1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

The Filling
Ingredients:

• 4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
  
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup flour
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter, then lay second sheet crosswise over it.
2. Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
3. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Dust with Confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares.