My coworkers know how much I love to be in the kitchen, dreaming up yummy things, so when one of them had a Meyer lemon tree full of fruits, guess what I got? A bag full of fragrant, beautiful, shiny Meyer lemons! Just look at the photo below..swoon!!
Since I tend to barter with baked goods with my coworkers, I asked her if she wanted a lemon cake or lemon bars and she said “lemon bars!” without hesitation.
Lemon bars it is! Meyer lemon bars! *lemon cake in the ELB recipe link here – https://athomewiththeresa.com/2020/11/26/electric-lunchbox-72-lemon-cake/
I do have a dwarf Eureka lemon tree in the backyard that produces some lemons as it is still small but Meyer lemons are totally delicious! They have a floral scent, like orange blossoms, mixed with lemon that is just so refreshing and mild.
So, back to my lemon bars. This recipe makes a big 13” x 9” pan so you’ll have enough to share but I’d totally understand too if you eat half a pan while cooking dinner after the bars cooled off a bit… because I just can’t stop eating it! I do not like cloyingly sweet desserts so this has just enough sweetness to play up the tart, floral taste coming from the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Of course you can cut all the ingredients in half and bake this in an 8×8 pan. AND, if you do not have Meyer lemons, regular store bought lemons make the perfect substitute!
Ingredients for the Crust:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Meyer Lemon Filling:
6 large eggs
2 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Meyer Lemon zest (from 4 – 5 lemons)
1 cup Meyer lemon juice (from 4 – 6 lemons)
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13” x 9” pan with non stick spray. You’ll have a cookie crust so there is no need to line the pan but feel free to do so if you want to.
2. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl.
3. Cream together with a hand mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. You can also use a stand mixer.
4. Add flour and salt to the bowl.
5. Beat until combined and texture resembles sand. See the texture in the photo above.
6. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan.
7. Press firmly onto the bottom of the pan. I use a measuring cup to press the crust firmly on the bottom of the pan, then my fingers for the corners and edges.
8. Bake at 350F for 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly browned.
9. Transfer to a cooling rack while you prepare the filling.
10. Gather your ingredients for the filling.
11. Zest your lemons first.
12. Then cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. Inhale deeply as this is sweet, summery, all natural, refreshing aromatherapy for free! 😊 It’s the little things that count!
11. Wipe out the bowl you used for the crust (one less bowl to wash!) and in it, add sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and salt.
12. Add the eggs and beat until blended.
13. Pour the mixture over the crust.
14. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, until middle is set and the top looks dry.
15. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into pieces. Hint: If you chill it overnight, it cuts cleaner and easier. The photo above are of the lemon bars I cut when they were still warm…so they didn’t look too pretty. Still delicious though!
16. Enjoy!
They look delicious!
Thank you! They really were! I hope you try it!