Lemon bars

by Andrea Gámez

Today’s recipe: lemon bars, citric and delicious. If there is something we like in Mexico is lime and lemon. We use it on fruit, on french fries sometimes, over tacos of course, soups, etc. We literally use it even on pizza sometimes (believe it or not), so this recipe is not the exception.

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I am not an expert when it comes to lemon, but I am when it comes to desserts and I can say that these bars are amazing. I had tried them for the first time about 3 years ago and I can truly say they are just on a whole different level because they are not as sweet and feel totally different to any other dessert you have tried before.

To give you some perspective, lemon bars are somewhat similar to lemon pie because they both have a crunchy crust and a creamy filling with an intense lemon flavor. So you can imagine by now this recipe calls for a lot of lemon. Now in Mexico we sometimes call limes lemons (the green ones) but they are actually limes, as they are known in Spain and other countries. Eitther way, you can make this recipe with limes or lemons or even both and it will be just as good.

These lemon bars go great with some confectioners sugar on top, because it makes them look prettier and more presentable and also because it goes great with the lemony flavor of the filling.

It is a classic american dessert, where it is traditional. Just like banana bread, or blueberry muffins, these are classic desserts so typical of this part of the world.

If you like this recipe you have to go check out our lemon meringue pie.

Lemon bars

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Freezing time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert, sweets
Cuisine American
Servings 14 bars

Ingredients
  

For the crust:

  • 1 C (4.60 oz) (130 gr) all purpouse flour
  • 1/2 tsp (0.12 oz) (3.5 gr) salt
  • 1/3 C (1.40 oz) (40 gr) confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 C (3.95 oz) (112 gr) unsalted butter , cold and in cubes

For the lemon filling:

  • 1 can (14 oz) (397 gr) condensed milk
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 C (1.12 oz) (32 gr) all purpouse flour
  • 1/4 tsp (0.06 oz) (1.7 gr) salt
  • 1/2 C (4 fl oz) (120 ml) lemon or lime juice , fresh
  • The zest of two limes or one lemon

Instructions
 

For the crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 375º F (180º C). Line a square cake pan or mold of about 7.8 inches (20 cm) with parchment paper.
  • In a food processor (not a blender) put the flour, salt and confectioners sugar. Process for 30 secodns until the ingredients integrate.
  • Add in the butter in cubes and process for another 30 seconds until a sand-like dough forms (this whole dough process can also be made in a bowl using your fingertips being careful not to overwork the dough.
  • Put the dough in the cake pan and press it to even it out using your hands until you have a base and make the edges be tall of about 0.80 inches (2 cm).
  • Refrigerate the dough in the cake pan for 30 minutes or freeze it for 15 minutes.
  • Bake the crust at 375º F (180º C) for 15 to 20 minutes until it turns slightly golden brown. Take it out of the oven and set aside until needed.

For the lemon filling:

  • In a big bowl using a whisk, mix all the ingredients to make the filling for 1 minute until you have a smooth mixture.
  • Pour this over the crust and bake again all together for 30 to 35 minutes until the surface looks firm and slightly golden brown.
  • Take out of the oven and let it cool down completely inside the pan for about 30 minutes. Once cold, cut it into 12 to 16 squares.
  • Serve the bars decorating them with some confectioners sugar on top if desired.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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