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One day while chatting with one of my best gal pals, I went MIA (no, not like the middle finger wielding MIA).  I had to apologize and tell her that I had gone ahead and whipped up some lemon bars on a whim.  She laughed and asked when the mini van was coming.  I assured her NEVER and explained that it all started with this tree.  That, my fine friends, is a Meyer’s lemon tree and it’s happily growing in our back yard.  Not only does it look pretty, but it yields a very deliciously sweet version of a lemon.  Lately, it’s been yielding a lot of lemons and rather than just let them drop to the ground and rot, I figured I need to put these lovely lemons to work.

My mom mentioned that her best gal pal had a really delightful recipe from Barefoot Contessa and so I decided to give it a go.  Now, I must warn you… this recipe is a labor of love.  It is well worth all of the effort though.

Ingredients (Crust):

• 1/2 lb unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flower
• 1/8 tbs kosher salt

Ingredients (Filling):

• 6 extra large eggs (room temperature)
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tbs lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. For crust: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Combine flour and salt and add to the butter until just mixed. 
4. Dump dough onto well floured board and gather into a ball, flatten the dough w/ floured hands and press into a 9x13x2 inch baking sheet, building up a ½ inch edge on all sides. 
5. Chill.
6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. 
7. Let cool on wire rack.
8. Leave oven on.
9. For the Filling: Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. 
10. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is set. 
11. Let cool to room temp.
12. Cut into triangles and dust with confectioner’s sugar.
13. Store in the fridge.

Make lemon bars.

xx,
WhyDid