Annemaries Lemon Bars Food

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides; spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• For the crust: Add the flour, cornstarch, confectioners' sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 10 times until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, about 30 times. (The dough will not come together in one mass.) Sprinkle the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and lightly pat it down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the filling: Combine the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk continuously over medium heat, occasionally scraping down the sides and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, until simmering and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter until combined.
• Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the crust and bake until just set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Use the foil overhang to lift the bars from the pan. Remove the foil and slice into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

SPECIAL DAY LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed.
• Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and gather into a ball.
• Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x 13 x 2" baking sheet, building up a 1/2" edge on all sides.
• Chill.
• Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned.
• Let cool on a wire rack, leaving the oven on.
• For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and flour, and pour into the crust.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes more, until the filling is set.
• Let cool to room temperature.
• Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• CRUST:.
• Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fold two 16-inch pieces of foil lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit one sheet in the bottom of the greased pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan (the overhang will help in removal of the baked bars). Fit second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow. Sprinkle mixture into prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the entire pan bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• FILLING:.
• In a medium nonreactive bowl, whisk together the yolks and whole eggs until combined. Add granulated sugar and whisk until just combined. Add lemon juice, zest and salt; whisk until combined, about 5 seconds. Transfer mixture to a medium nonreactive saucepan, add the butter pieces, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until curd thickens to a thin sauce-like consistency and registers 170 degrees on an instead-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Pour curd immediately through a single-mesh stainless steel strainer set over a clean nonreactive bowl. Stir in the heavy cream; pour curd onto the warm crust immediately.
• Bake until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center 3 inches jiggle slightly when shaken, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 2 1/4-inch squares, wiping the knife clean between cuts as necessary. Sieve confectioners' sugar over the bars, if desired.

LEMON BARS

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter and line with foil.
• Cut together the butter, flour, granulated sugar and salt. Press into the prepared pan and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
• For the filling: Whisk together the granulated sugar, flour and eggs until smooth. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix until combined. Pour over the crust and bake until just set, about 20 minutes.
• Allow to cool in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, then sift powdered sugar over the top before cutting into squares.

ANNEMARIE'S LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• To make crust: Mix together the butter, 1 1/3 cups flour and 1/4 cup sugar with a fork until crumbly. Press into an 8 inch square pan and bake for 20 minutes. Crust will look white. Do not brown!
• Combine the eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, baking powder and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until well mixed. Pour over pre-baked crust.
• Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let bars cool before cutting.