Lemon Bars are a favorite when providing dessert for a group of people, or when you want a finger food, zesty treat. I remember the first few times I had lemon bars I liked them but for me they were lacking something. It dawned on me one day that what was missing was enough filling. Today, we are going to discuss how to adjust the recipe to get Lemon Bars Your Way!
Lemon Bars per the Recipe
The following recipe is the one I found. It was difficult to follow and a little confusing the way they presented the ingredients as if for one item, when they were split into two. Because of the way it is written I forgot the baking powder a couple of times which left the filling flat, with a different texture, and very little taste.
Lemon Bars – Their Way
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup margarine or butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon peel (set aside)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- For crust, in a medium mixing bowl beat margarine or butter with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds or till softened. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat till thoroughly combined. Then beat in 1 cup flour till mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press mixture into an ungreased 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Bake in 350 Deg F oven for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for lemon mixture, in the same mixing bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed just till foamy. Add the remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and the salt. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in lemon peel. Pour lemon mixture over baked crust. Bake in the 350 Deg F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or till lightly golden around the edges and the center is set. Cool in pan on a rack. Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut into bars. Store, covered, in refrigerator.
Notes
When I tried the lemon bars following the original recipe, they had a decent flavor but I found it lacking. I felt cheated in the amount of filling, and the boldness of the flavor. I made a few changes and came up with the Lemon Bars My Way. It took a couple of experimental trials but in the end I arrived at my recipe.
Lemon Bars My Way
The following is the recipe I use to get the lemon bars to be flavored the way my pallet prefers. You will notice there is a bit more crust and a lot more filling. Even though I use a larger pan because I multiply the crust by approximately 1-1/2 times and the filling approximately 4 times, both come out thicker.
Lemon Bars – My Way
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- 9 X 13 X 2 Inch Baking Pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Preheated Oven 350 Deg F
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 9 Tablespoons Butter – Softened
- 1/3 Cup Sugar – Granulated
- 1-1/2 Cups Flour All Purpose
- For the Filling:
- 1/2 Cup Flour – All Purpose
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2-1/2 Cups Sugar – Granulated
- 1 teaspoons Salt
- 8 Eggs
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Peel – Finely Shredded (Lemon Zest)
- 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- As Desired Sugar: Confectioners (Powdered)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 Deg F
- For Crust: in a medium mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium or high speed for about 30 seconds or till softened. Add 1/3 cup sugar, beat until thoroughly combined. Then beat in 1-1/2 cups flour until mixture resemble fine crumbs. Press mixture into an ungreased 9 X 13 X 2 inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the lemon mixture (filling), combine flour, zest, sugar, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
- In the same mixing bowl you made the crust, beat the eggs with an electric mixture on medium speed till foamy. Add lemon juice, and the flour mixture you set aside. Beat on medium speed about 3 minutes or till slightly thickened. Pour lemon mixture over the baked crust.
- Bake in the 350 Deg F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till lightly golden around the edges, and the center is set.
- Cool in the pan on a rack. Sift powered sugar over the top of the cooled bars. Cut into bars.
- Store in the refrigerator. Note: Bars should be kept cool because of the eggs in them.
Notes
I prefer the flavor to be a little more tart. Because of this I used less than 4 times the sugar.
Successful Experiments
The lime bars came out of somewhat a necessity. I was given a couple of bags of limes and I did not want to lose them. I juiced them and was about to freeze the juice for later use when I thought to myself, “Why not make Lime Bars?” It had been a while since I had made any lemon bars and I said, “Why not?” After making them I really liked the flavor. My husband took some to his work and the members of his team really enjoyed them as well. This is one of those experiments that turned out well.
After the success of the lime bars I decided to try and make Orange Bars. I used the My Way recipe substituting Orange Juice and Orange Zest. I also reduced the sugar to only 2 cups. Oranges are naturally much sweeter than lemons or limes so less sugar is needed. One thing that was interesting was the day the Orange Bars were made the orange flavor was barely there. The next day, the orange flavor came through much better. It took sitting for a day to allow the flavors to meld and produce a better product. The flavor was a milder flavor, lacking the boldness of the lemon or lime bars.
Your Way
As always what is provided here is what I find flavors it my way. Feel free to adjust the recipe to be to your taste. Experiment a little and you will be saying, I Flavored It My Way!