Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies

 

       

We are going to a newly found cousin's house at Smith Mountain Lake tomorrow, so I had to bake something.  I decided to look in my stash of Joanne Fluke Mystery/recipe books.  She is always good for a good cookie recipe and I ALWAYS buy and keep her mysteries because of that.

Lovely Lemon Bars sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies

4 cups flour
1 cup cold butter, 2 sticks
1/2 cup powdered sugar


4 beaten eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon or so of lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup flour


Heat oven to 350. Spray a 9X13 pan with Pam. I used a glass baking dish.

   

Cut up the butter and add it to the sugar and flour in a food processor. 

   

Pulse it 10 or so times until it looks like cornmeal and the butter is evenly distributed.  Carefully dump it into the prepared dish.

   

The recipe called for fingers, but I used a rubber spatula to press the flour mixture into the pan.  I figured it was faster and smoother and it was certainly cleaner!  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden around the edges.  It took 20 minutes for me.

   

While it is baking, prepare the topping/lemon part.  Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and whisk it all around.  Add the 2 cups sugar and whisk again until the sugar is dissolved.

   

Add the lemon juice and zest.  I always just zest a whole lemon if zest is called for.  I had 2 lemons and it wasn't enough juice.  Good thing I also had some Realemon to get the rest of the lemon juice needed.

   

I poured the whole thing through a strainer to make sure none of the lemon seeds got in by accident. 

   

Then add the salt, baking powder and flour and whisk it once more.

By now the dish should be ready to take out of the oven.  Pour the lemon mixture on top and put it back in the oven, still 350.  Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes.

 

    

When done, remove from the oven and sprinkle on some powdered sugar.  I used the strainer and moved the dish to the counter close to the sink.  I wanted to get the sugar in all the corners and didn't want the sugar all over the oven where it was cooling.  Clean it up and put it back to cool.

   

Let cool thoroughly and then cut into brownie-sized bars.