I did not make these lemon bars.
No, it was Christine. She brought them to dinner at my house a couple of weeks ago, and friends, they were insanely good. She assured me they are both super easy and super quick, so I gave them a whirl last weekend, and, well...she was right.
A couple of notes here: first off, almost everything fantastic I've eaten of late somebody else has made. I need to get my culinary game on. I'm considering some cooking classes to freshen up the repertoire.
Second, I had already made dessert the night Christine and family came for dinner, so I put the lemon bars in the freezer to keep. This was a serendipitous move as the bars are killer "frozen"... sort of a cross between a lemon bar and a lemon ice cream-ish thing. (I actually let them thaw on the counter for just a few minutes, but not long.) Totally fantastic.
Christine's Lemon Bars (recipe from Martha Stewart)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.
Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares, and dust with confectioners sugar.
