Can I tell you how excited I am now that spring is just around the corner? Fingers crossed that there will be no more snow, viruses or chilly temperatures heading our (and your) way. I think the school-aged kids had about 10 days of cancellations due to snow this year, and I have been healthy for maybe 2-3 days in the entire months of January of February combined. Needless to say, I’m done with winter.
To brighten things up around here, I decided to make some Meyer lemon bars. I’d been looking for Meyer lemons for years and finally found them at my local Trader Joe’s this winter. I snatched up a bag and set out to bake these bars to get rid of our winter blahs.
If you’re unfamiliar with Meyer lemons, they are essentially a cross between an orange and a lemon. They are small and shaped like lemons (with a lemon-ish flavor and yellowish juice) but have orange-colored rinds. The fruit is sweet yet tart and can be used in place of lemon in many dishes and desserts.
These Meyer lemon bars were wonderful. Addie wasn’t a fan because she thought they were too tart, but my husband adored them. He said that the flavors got better each day and that he liked them more and more every time he ate one. I’m still a proponent of the whole lemon bars but these come in a close 2nd place.
I hope spring arrives soon for all of us.
Meyer lemon bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- 1 cup flour
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Generously grease or line a 9x13 inch baking pan (one with high sides). I halved the recipe and used a standard 8x8 inch square baking pan and lined with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour and salt and mix until just combined.
- Stop the mixer and remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a well-floured surface.Gently form the dough into a ball. Transfer to your prepared baking pan and flatten the dough evenly into the pan and gently press up on all sides so you have at least a 1/2 to 1-inch wall of crust on all sides of your pan. Bake in your preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the crust turns a light golden color. Remove from the oven.
- While the crust is baking, prepare your filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, Meyer lemon juice and flour. Mix well until no lumps remain. Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is no longer jiggly when shaken.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting. You may dust the tops with confectioner's sugar for a prettier presentation.