Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars, like this one from a vintage recipe card, were ubiquitous during my childhood -- a plate of these tart and sweet treats appeared at nearly every gathering, from the ladies' afternoon card games to pot luck dinners. Created by Betty Crocker in in 1963, the lemon bar caught on like wildfire. And for good reason -- they are a delicious combination of a cookie base topped by a tart lemon custard. They are still quite popular, albeit with some modern twists, like the addition of lemon zest to ramp up the lemon flavor.

Did I mention these are a snap to make? I whipped these up for my dear friend Suzanne, a huge fan of my red velvet cake. And I hope these lemon bars too!

Let's get started. Using a stand or electric mixer, combine the flour, butter and confectioner's sugar for the base. Place the mixture into the baking pan and, using your hands (I always wear gloves), press it down...

Until it is spread evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes. It will look rather raw, but remember, it will get a second baking.

Prepare the lemon topping, which you can do while the crust is baking.  Beat the eggs well, and add the sugar, flour and baking powder.  Mix it well.

It should look like this.

Pour it over the prepared crust and pop it in the oven.

Remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit.

Sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, using a strainer for even coverage. Let cool completely and cut into squares.

Production notes: I followed the recipe almost exactly, but have typed out instructions below this rather stained recipe card. I tried to create a sling with parchment paper, but didn't cover the entire pan as I usually do.  It was a big fail, and I could not get the cake out in one piece. I also beat the eggs first, really, really well (not to the point where they form a ribbon, but almost).

Sophie's Lemon Bars

Preheat oven to 350F

Crust:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. confectioner's sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well (w. electric mixer)
Place into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch square pan.
Press into pan.
Bake 15 minutes.

Topping:
4 T. fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 c. sugar
2 T. flour
1/2 t. baking powder

Beat eggs a lot. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix very well.

Pour over crust and bake for 25 minutes.
Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar when almost cool.
They will firm up while cooling.
Cut into bars.

Lemon Crunch

Do you like traditional lemon bars? Then you'll fall head-over-heels in love with Lemon Crunch, a vintage version of the lemon bar that -- for reasons unknown -- fell out of favor or never caught on.  And that is not a good thing, because these hyped-up lemon bars (the "crunch" is from toasted coconut) are simply amazing.  Even colleagues who typically have just a taste of the treat du jour, came back again and again until there were none.

The original recipe card, written in pencil, is bit difficult to follow (and lacks some basic instructions), so I've modernized the recipe so home cooks today can follow it, as they did in the 1940s or 50s when this brilliant idea was probably conceived.

Get started by combining the ingredients for the crust (and topping).

Add a stick of melted butter and combine.

Press half the mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan which you've lined with parchment (two pieces, criss-crossed), or foil.  Or you can simply grease the pan and keep your fingers crossed.

Prepare the lemon custard filling.  Before you add the cold egg and lemon juice to the hot custard, "temper" the egg mixture by mixing in a bit of the hot liquid to raise its temperature. This will prevent the egg from "cooking" in the hot mixture.  (But if this does happen, as it did to me, you can just strain out the bits of cooked whites by pressing the custard through a strainer.)

Adding extra lemon zest only improves the finished product.

Spread the custard atop the crust.  Use an offset spatula or knife so it completely covers the base.

Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture atop the custard. Bake and enjoy!

LEMON CRUNCH
Preheat oven to 400.  Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment or foil.

Prepare the base (and topping)
1 1/4 cup coconut

3/4 cup fine soda cracker crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix first four ingredients in a bowl.  Pour melted butter in and combine well.  Press 1/2 the mixture into an 8 x 8 pan.

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 T cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
1 beaten egg
1 1/3 cup milk
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 t. grated lemon peel*
1 T butter
few drops of vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan.  Stir in milk and cook until thick.  In a separate bowl, mix together egg and lemon juice and then add to the saucepan.  Cook about two minutes and then add lemon peel, butter and vanilla.
*Using more lemon peel creates a more lemony flavor.

Pour filling into pan.  Take reserved topping and sprinkle over the filling.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Chill before serving, but it can be served cold or at room temperature.