Zesty lemon bars

When you have fresh lemons, you can make lemonade (and I do, frequently), but if you have a little extra time, you might as well make lemon bars.

{lemons are so beautiful, aren't they?}

A good lemon bar should be tangy, with a delicate crust and texture. It shouldn't be cloyingly sweet. Lauren recommended this Amy's Bread recipe, via Martha, and I'm glad I trusted her. These are wonderful, and the dash of coarse salt provides a perfect contrast to the sweetness.

{prepping}

Sadly, they do not photograph well. I'm thinking next time I might actually wait for them to cool down and then pop them in the freezer for half an hour to get them nice and firm before slicing. Don't let the lack of photos discourage you, though. We tore into these bars despite the ragged edges and everyone loved them.

Zesty Lemon Bars (makes 20 bars, from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, via Martha Stewart)

Crust ingredients
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

Topping ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Note: I also added the zest from the lemons, because wasting it is a crime, in my book
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center of oven. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

**To make crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt; process to combine. Add butter to processor and process until mixture is pale yellow and resembles a coarse meal, about 10 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and work into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers.

**Pour crust mixture into prepared baking dish, pressing down with your fingers to create a 1/4-inch-thick layer along the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides, pressing firmly at the edges to seal. Transfer pan to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake, rotating pan once during baking, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

**Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and flour; stir in lemon juice, milk, and salt until well combined.

**Remove baking pan from oven. Stir topping and pour into warm crust. Return pan to oven and continue baking until topping is just set but not browned, about 20 minutes.

**Transfer baking pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 20 squares. Serve immediately or wrap each bar tightly with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

I think I need this cookbook now.

P.S. Come visit me over at Jess's blog, where I'm sharing some of my life intentions. It's a great series and I was thrilled to be able to participate!