My co-worker “Hey, Donna” has a fab lemon tree and she is nice enough to share her bountiful crop of lemons with us. She even makes lemon marmalade — I know — and she gave me a jar! I can’t wait to slather it on a toasted English muffin. I haven’t made my sister’s lemon bars in a while and used the fresh-picked lemons for the recipe.
While they are cooking in the oven, I thought I would share Sister’s recipe…
Pucker Up Lemon Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put 3/4 cup of cold butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of flour in a medium-sized mixing bowl. With a pastry cutter (which is much easier than using a fork), blend the dough. It will be crumbly at first, but just keep mixing it until the dough starts to come together. Press into a 9×9 baking dish (I prefer a glass baking dish because it seems to keep the corners from burning). Bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk 3 eggs until frothy. Add in 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the juice of 1 lemon (which yields about 3 tablespoons). Pour on top of baked cookie dough. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Let cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and I double dare you to not eat more than one. Save the center piece for yourself…it’s the best.
One must-have tool for your new year kitchen, is this lemon press from Williams-Sonoma. It’s uber cool and easy peasy lemon squeezy to press lemons and limes. It inverts the lemon half and gets every drop of liquid gold out. And it has a strainer, so no seeds get into your juice. It’s a steal at $13.
Lemon Press
Whoever said yellow was mellow?
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
