Perfect Lemon Bars

These lemon bars are perfect. Hence the name! They come from Cooks Illustrated, always a safe bet. The recipe is very straightforward. Just be sure to add the lemon filling to the crust while it is still warm out of the oven. I made these for Grace & Tony's baby shower last weekend, they were a hit!

Pulsing up the crust. It always looks too dry to me, but if you just pinch it you'll see that it actually sticks together very well.


The crust mixture is pressed into the pan (definitely line it with parchment paper! it makes the cutting process SO much easier)
The crust goes in the fridge for 30 minutes and then the oven for 20, meanwhile mix up the lemon filling. I stick the bowl in the fridge until the crust is done cooking- and just stir it well before pouring it over the (warm!!) crust.Make sure to let the bars cook until the center is firm. Trust me- these bars get really messy if they are undercooked. I served them up in blue muffin wrappers for easy eating :)

Ingredients
The Crust
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar , plus extra to decorate finished bars
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at very cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

Lemon Filling
4 large eggs , beaten lightly
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons
2/3 cup lemon juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

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 (see illustration 1, below).

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, following illustration 2, 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: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon zest, juice, milk, and salt to blend well.

4. To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Following illustrations 3 and 4, below, transfer to cutting board, fold paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sieve confectioners’ sugar over bars, if desired.