LUSCIOUS LEMON BARS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 12” x 9” baking dish with non-stick spray and line it with a 12” x 18” piece of parchment paper allowing the long ends to go over the long sides of the pan.  This will allow you to lift the bars easily out of the pan after baking.

To make the crust, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixture and cream it until smooth with the paddle attachment.   Press the dough into the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer using your fingers.  If the dough gets sticky, wet your fingers with a little water and continue to press the dough into an even layer.   Bake for 20 minutes.

To make the filling, combine the eggs, lemon juice, sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth.  Pour this mixture on top of the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes until mostly set with just a slight jiggle.  Let cool for 30 minutes.  Top the bars with the powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve in an even layer.  Cool completely.

Remove the bars from the pan using the edges of the parchment paper as ‘handles’ and cut into squares.