Lemon Bars with Lemon Curd

Lemon Bars - made September 13, 2019 from Pastry and Beyond

I have a tried and true lemon bar recipe that everyone loves but every once in awhile I like to try a new recipe for lemon bars. Just in case. I found a really good one that way so it never hurts to keep an open mind to new recipes. Says Recipe ADD Queen.

I haven’t made lemon bars in a long time though and I think I might’ve lost my touch. The lemon curd part turned out fine but the crust? Not so much. Most, though not all, crusts for lemon bars are made by cutting cold butter into a flour-sugar mixture. The key is to cut the butter in fine enough and thoroughly enough so that it’s evenly dispersed and when baked, makes a crust, not a floury layer not held together with enough dispersed butter. 

Guess which one I did? Yep. Too floury. I don’t know if I just didn’t cut the butter in properly or enough or if the recipe held too much flour. I assume the former as the original blog looks like the crust was fine. Which is not how my crust turned out. Sigh. On the plus side, the lemon curd layer was good. The only issue I had with it is it absorbed the powdered sugar dusting really quickly. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as that shows the top layer is moist. But, for looks, you want to only dust with powdered sugar literally right before serving or it’ll look like you don’t have any powdered sugar on top at all.

dry crust, too floury

Crust
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup minus 2 teaspoons (95 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 stick or 4 tablespoons (115 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Lemon Filling
3 large eggs
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon (120 grams) granulated sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon (10 grams) all-purpose flour
powdered sugar for dusting the tops of the bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Crust: mix the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add in the cubed butter and cut butter into flour mixture with a fork or two knives until the butter is the size of small peas and the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
4. Filling: mix the lemon zest and sugar in a bowl with a fork or rub with your fingertips to increase the lemon flavor. Add the eggs and whisk until well combined. Add the cooled melted butter and lemon juice; mix well. Add flour and mix until incorporated.
5. Pour filling over hot baked crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the filling is set but still soft. Cool to room temperature. Just before serving, generously dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.