Lemon Thyme 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.

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
• Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

LEMON THYME BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. For the Crust, mix flour, confectioners' sugar, thyme and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/3 of crumb mixture (about 1 cup). Pat remaining crumb mixture into greased foil-lined 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove from oven.
• For the Filling, mix granulated sugar, flour, ginger and baking powder in large bowl. Add lemon juice, eggs and lemon peel; whisk until blended. Pour lemon filling over warm baked crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until filling is set and golden. Cool in pan on wire rack.
• Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or drizzle with Lemon Glaze, if desired. Cut into bars to serve.

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.

LEMON THYME (OR ROSEMARY) BARS

Steps:

• Place oven rack in center of oven. Preheat to 325. Butter and flour an 8x8 glass baking dish.
• FOR THE BARS:.
• in a small bowl combine flour, thyme (or rosemary), lemon zest and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of butter and powdered sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Using damp fingers, press the dough into prepared pan. Baked for 30 minutes until golden. Cool 30 minutes.
• FOR THE GLAZE:.
• In small bowl, whisk lemon juice with powdered sugar until smooth. Spoon glaze over the cooled crust. Allow glaze to harden, at room temperature, for about an hour.
• Using a metal spatula, or run a knife around the edge, remove the crust from the pan. Cut into 1/2 inch square bars and arrange on a serving platter or store airtight in a plastic container at room temperature.