Chewy Lemon Bars Food

CHEF JOHN'S LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Place an oven rack into middle position in oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil an 8x8-inch baking dish.
• Place 1 cup flour and butter in a mixing bowl and mash with the back of a spatula or wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Mix in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and salt; mash mixture together until mixture looks like a slightly crumbly cookie dough.
• Moisten your fingers with a little water and press dough into bottom of prepared baking dish. Use a fork to prick holes all over the crust.
• Bake crust on center rack in the preheated oven until crust edges are barely golden brown, 22 minutes.
• Beat eggs and egg yolks together in a bowl; whisk in white sugar and 2 tablespoons flour until smooth. Add lemon juice and lemon zest; whisk for 2 minutes. Pour lemon custard over crust.
• Bake on center rack until custard is set and top has a thin white sugary crust, 25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Dip knife into very hot water, run around the edge, and cut into 16 squares. Dust cookies with 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar.

THE BEST EVER LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Prepare a 9x13" pan. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray and then cover the pan with parchment paper vertically. Spray the parchment paper and then cover that piece with another piece of parchment paper horizontally.
• In a bowl, combine flour, powdered sugar and corn starch.
• Cube the cold butter and add to bowl.
• With your hands or a pastry blender combine the dry ingredients until the dough in crumbly.
• Pour the crust mixture into the pan and press down evenly.
• Bake crust in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
• While the crust is in the oven, make the lemon filling.
• Squeeze lemons until you have 1 cup of lemon juice.
• Zest lemons until you have 2 tablespoons of lemon zest.
• Add Eggs, Granulated Sugar and flour into a mixing bowl. Stir until smooth and fully combined.
• Add lemons and lemon zest and mix until combined.
• When crust is done, pour lemon mixture onto the crust as soon as you pull it out of the oven.
• Place the Lemon Bars back in the oven and cook for another 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set.
• Allow the Lemon Bars to cool.
• Sprinkle the Bars with Powdered Sugar.
• Cut into squares.

LEMON BARS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 or an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Make the crust by creaming the butter with a hand or a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) until smooth. Add powdered sugar, flour, and salt and mix slowly until the mixture is crumbly but sticks together when you press it between your fingers. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until it just starts to get a light golden brown around the edges.
• While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs until beaten. Whisk in the sugar, lemon zest, salt, and lemon juice. Pour over hot crust, then continue to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer liquid in the center and it's lightly golden brown on top.
• Cool completely before removing from pan. Remove foil, then dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve, dusting with more powdered sugar as desired.

LEMON CHEWY CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients except flour until well blended.
• On low speed, beat in flour just until blended.
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar or almonds.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. HINT: These cookies will have a nicely browned edge if baked on a regular thin cookie sheet rather than a thick or insulated one.

LEMON SQUARES/LEMON BAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend the butter, flour, powdered sugar and lemon peel.
• Spread in a 9 X 9 inch UNGREASED pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Combine the rest of the ingredients, (not the powdered sugar), and pour over the baked mixture.
• Bake an additional 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar of the top when out of the oven.
• Loosen the sides with the sharp point of a knife.
• Let the cake cool and then cut it into squares.
• These can be refrigerated, but should be removed about 1/2 hour before serving to bring to room temperature.

CHEWY PECAN BARS

Steps:

• Spread butter evenly in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until blended. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to egg mixture until well blended. Stir in pecans., Spread into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until browned. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

CHEWY LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together cake mix, egg and butter. Spread into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan.
• In a separate bowl, mix together powedered sugar, beaten eggs, softened cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture over bottom layer.
• Bake 30-40 minutes, until top layer turns a light golden brown.

LEMON CHEWSIES (CHEWY LEMON BARS WITH LEMON FROSTING)

Steps:

• Cream together butter, sugar, salt, and baking soda; then blend in the remaining bar ingredients.
• Spread in well-greased and floured 15x10" pan.
• Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Combine all frosting ingredients, and beat until smooth and creamy, adding more juice if necessary.
• Frost bars while still hot.

SOFT AND CHEWY LEMON COOKIES

Steps:

• To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, lemon extract, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, light, fluffy, and well combined, about 4 minutes.
• Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the lemon zest, honey, optional food coloring, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. I used 1 teaspoon gel food coloring; add drops or gel to desired shade. One teaspoon gel makes the batter quite yellow but it mellows slightly after adding the dry ingredients.
• Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, optional salt, and baking soda (keep the baking soda in a nice little mound rather than sprinkling it).
• Add the lemon juice directly on top of the baking soda. It will bubble and foam, which means the baking soda has been activated and this is good; if your soda doesn't bubble it's old and expired. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
• Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 12 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
• Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
• Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
• Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don't overbake or undersides could become too browned. Cookies firm up as they cool.
• Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack.
• Optionally, dust with confectioners' sugar. Or, for increased lemon intensity, make the lemon glaze and then sprinkle with additional lemon zest.

CHEWY CHERRY BARS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
• BEAT butter and brown sugar in medium bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat in extract. Mix in flour, baking powder and oats until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1/2-cup for topping. Pat remaining crumbs into bottom of prepared pan.
• SPOON preserves evenly over crumb crust in pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumb topping.
• BAKE 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars.