Easy lemon bars with a zesty lemon custard atop a crisp brown sugar shortbread crust--these lemon bars lovely and delicious!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Servings: 16bars
Calories: 264kcal
Author: Lucy Brewer
Ingredients
Crust
2sticksunsalted butter, melted
2cupsall-purpose flour
¼cupbrown sugar
¼ cupgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
1vanilla bean
Filling
⅓cupall-purpose flour
1 ¼cupsgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
2tablespoonsfreshly grated lemon zest
4largeeggs
2largeegg yolks
1cupfreshly squeezed lemon juice
4tablespoonsunsalted butter, diced and cold
Topping
2-3tablespoonsconfectioners sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil, allowing the foil to hang over the sides, and lightly grease the foil.
Crust
Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and mix into flour. Pour in butter. Stir until well mixed and press into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until dark golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Filling
Whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Whisk in lemon zest. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes until thickened. Strain through a mesh strainer. Whisk in butter until smooth.
Pour gently over hot crust. Bake 8-10 minutes or until center is set.
Let cool in pan on wire rack for 1 1/2 hours. Lift from pan, using foil sides as handles. Gently peel foil down and cut into squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.