Lemon Squares

By lindaauman

From the original poster: "This is my favorite lemon bars recipe, which I originally copied out of my mother's old Garden Club cookbook, hence the name. I have been making this recipe since I was a little girl and I have always loved it. I have made these so many times over the years and have not really ever felt the need to improve on it. However, when I was a girl I did used to use dried bottled lemon zest (yikes), since I wasn't allowed to use the razor sharp grater. I use the real thing now that I am an adult. I have to admit that I do still usually use the bottled RealLemon lemon juice rather than fresh to this day - in fact, I buy it specifcally for these bars. There is something very nostalgic to me about that green jar of bottled juice, that it just doesn't seem fitting to use anything else. :)"

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sweet unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• Topping:
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork until foamy
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (I usually use bottled lemon juice)
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting the top

Preparation

Step 1

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Combine crust ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs using a pastry blender or a couple of butter knives.
3) Press into a greased and floured 8" square glass baking pan using your fingers- press it so that the entire bottom of the pan is covered evenly.
4) Bake partially for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.
5) While the crust is pre-baking, combine the filling ingredients and pour over the warm crust.
6) Bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned- do not over bake.
7) Let cool completely.
8) Once cool, sift powdered sugar over the top- you may need more or less to taste.
9) I like mine to look like they've been covered with a snow.
10) Slice into bars and serve.