Recipes for lemon bars can be quickly found all over the internet. Most bakers have a lovely lemon bar recipe in their repertoire. And if they don’t, that’s ok because you can even buy lemon bar mixes, just like cake mixes.
The recipe I am sharing with you here is similar to a lemon bar in various ways (they’re both creamy, citrus-y bars), only this recipe is so much better!
This bar consists of two basic elements: a sugar cookie crust (and topping) and a buttery, orangey filling. Sweet, light, and delicious, you can use the step-by-step tutorial below and taste these for yourself!
You begin with some fresh-squeezed orange juice (and you can make a bit extra, because who doesn’t love fresh-squeezed juice?).
1. Combine orange zest and sugar
2. add orange juice
3. add eggs
4. heat, double-boiler style, over low heat.
Next, allow the orange mixture to cool a bit and add the butter so that the mixture can thicken.
Next, make the dough:
1. dice butter
2. add butter to the dry ingredients of the sugar cookie dough
3. cut the butter into the dough
4. continue cutting butter until the dough comes together.
Press the dough into the pan, add orange mixture, sprinkle extra dough on top. Bake in the oven.
Drool at the deliciousness until it’s finally cool enough to cut.
Enjoy a slice or two!
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup butter, diced and softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 10 tbsp. cold butter, diced
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar, to top (optional)
- 1. Filling: In a bowl of a double boiler, combine the zest and sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand. Whisk in eggs, then orange juice.
- 2. Place the bowl over a pot of water, as a double boiler, and allow the mixture to cook until thick (your thermometer should read 175-180F). Remove the bowl from the stove and let cool to about 140F. Slowly add the butter, mixing with either a whisk or an electric mixer. Mix until pale, about 3-4 minutes.
- 3. Dough: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or line with foil an 8x8 baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt. Cut the butter into the dough. Mixture will be crumbly, but keep on mixing until there are only pea-sized crumbs.
- 4. Press half the dough into the baking pan. Pour in all the cream filling. Crumble the rest of the dough on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bars appear set. Thoroughly chill in the fridge for about 2-4 hours. Top with powdered sugar.
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