Lemon Thyme Bars Recipes

LEMON THYME BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*. Combine all the crust ingredients (except butter) in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and lumpy. Set aside about 1 cup of the crust mixture. Pat the remaining crust mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven, but leave the oven on.
• Prepare the filling: combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the zest, lemon juice and eggs. Whisk the wet and dry together until well blended.
• Pour the filling over the warm crust. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the top and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool.
• Prepare the glaze by mixing the lemon juice, zest and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle over the bars.

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides; spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• For the crust: Add the flour, cornstarch, confectioners' sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 10 times until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, about 30 times. (The dough will not come together in one mass.) Sprinkle the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and lightly pat it down. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the filling: Combine the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Whisk continuously over medium heat, occasionally scraping down the sides and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, until simmering and thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter until combined.
• Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the crust and bake until just set, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Use the foil overhang to lift the bars from the pan. Remove the foil and slice into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

THE BEST LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
• Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

LEMON THYME (OR ROSEMARY) BARS

Steps:

• Place oven rack in center of oven. Preheat to 325. Butter and flour an 8x8 glass baking dish.
• FOR THE BARS:.
• in a small bowl combine flour, thyme (or rosemary), lemon zest and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of butter and powdered sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Using damp fingers, press the dough into prepared pan. Baked for 30 minutes until golden. Cool 30 minutes.
• FOR THE GLAZE:.
• In small bowl, whisk lemon juice with powdered sugar until smooth. Spoon glaze over the cooled crust. Allow glaze to harden, at room temperature, for about an hour.
• Using a metal spatula, or run a knife around the edge, remove the crust from the pan. Cut into 1/2 inch square bars and arrange on a serving platter or store airtight in a plastic container at room temperature.