Lemon Zinger 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.

LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 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 board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
• Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
• For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
• Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

WHOLE LEMON BARS

Steps:

• For the crust: Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and set aside. Add the butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and combine until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt and slowly add to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour the dough into the prepared baking dish and press, making sure the dough comes up the sides of the dish around the edges about 1/2 inch. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the dough until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. (Leave the oven on.)
• For the lemon filling: Cut the lemon in half and slice the lemon halves into thin wheels; remove any seeds. Toss the lemon wheels (with flesh and peel), granulated sugar and chunks of butter into the bowl of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed. Add the eggs, cornstarch and salt and pulse until the batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared crust.
• Bake until the filling is set, 35 to 40 minutes. You can test this by bumping the pan a little; it should only jiggle slightly. In my oven, I find that the point at which the filling is set is also when it starts to get very light brown on top.
• Let cool on a rack. Cut into rectangles and dust with powdered sugar.

LEMON ZINGER BARS {GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, SOY-FREE}

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
• Put 3/4 cup of the oats into a food processor (or blender) and pulse until the oats form a flour. Pour into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
• Add the dates and apricots to the food processor with the lemon juice and water. Allow the mixture to sit and soften for 30 minutes. Blend until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the remaining 2 cups oats and the lemon zest to the bowl with the oat flour. Pour in the date-apricot mixture. Stir until well combined, and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
• Bake until the edges become golden brown and the mixture feels firm to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove the baking pan to a cooling rack. When cool, remove from the pan onto a cutting board and cut into squares. Set the bars on the cooling rack to firm up a bit more, about 10 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 1 week. To warm, reheat in a 375°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes.

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 BERRY ZINGER COCKTAIL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup water, and lemon juice and zest. Bring to a simmer and stir to completely dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
• In a large pitcher, stir together the brewed tea with the lemon simple syrup and 1 cup cold water. Stir in the bourbon if using and pour over crushed ice in glasses.

LEMON AND RED ZINGER ICED TEA

Steps:

• Steep the 4 tea bags of lemon zinger and red zinger together in 4 cups of hot water. Allow them to steep for awhile.
• Remove tea bags and add 4 cups of apple juice to the tea.
• Chill and serve with ice if desired. Garnish with lemon slices for an extra touch.