Lemon Bars- Weight Watchers Weekly

By amaliana

PointsPlus Value-3
These bars, tart yet sweet, make a nice finish for Easter dinner or any spring feast.

You can increase the lemon flavor of these bars by adding more zest or, for a less tart taste, eliminate the zest altogether. You can also change the flavor completely by subbing fresh lime juice and zest for the lemon.

The crust must be HOT when you pour on the lemon mixture. You'll need approximately three lemons to yield the amount of juice and zest in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Details

Servings 24
Preparation time 12mins
Cooking time 50mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F.

To make crust, mix flour and light brown sugar using a food processor until fully incorporated. Toss butter into flour mixture and pulse to combine using short bursts of power until butter is cut into tiny pea-size pieces and dough appears lumpy. Sprinkle crust mixture onto an ungreased 13 x 9 x2-inch baking pan as evenly as possible; press down with a spatula to create a packed surface. Place crust in middle of oven and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make lemon topping, beat eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until well blended. Add vanilla extract and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar; mix well. Add lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar; mix until powdered sugar is completely dissolved and then add zest.

As soon as crust is finished, remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 F. Immediately pour lemon mixture over hot crust. Bake about 30 minutes until firm; cool, and cut into 24 bars.
Yields 1 bar per serving.