lovin' lemon.

 
There's something about spring that reminds me of lemons. I'm not sure if it's because of the yellow daffodils that are popping up everywhere this time of the year, or whether it's the lemony smell throughout the house as everyone begins their spring cleaning, but lemons and spring just seem to go together. Lemon is one of my favourite flavours!  I'm not big into really sweet desserts, so the tartness of lemons cuts the sweetness just perfectly and adds a fresh citrusy flavour that I've always loved. I'll openly admit to eating the E.D. Smith lemon spread right out of the jar.
This past week I started to page through some of my recipe books looking for a snack to bring to our family Easter get-together. My Opa (Dutch for grandfather) recently moved into a long-term care facility as his health is not what it once was. I knew he'd be coming over for dinner, so I wanted to make something a little special for him. His ultimate favourite is lemon-meringue pie, but I'm not quite ready to tackle that recipe just yet. I thought some lemon squares would be a good compromise.
I've experimented with other recipes for lemon squares before, but I was looking for the ultimate recipe. One that combines a good shortbread crust with a filling that is both gooey and super lemony. My search led me to a fellow bloggers site. This recipe for lemon squares is from Moira at Who Wants Seconds and in my opinion, is worthy of the "ultimate" title...I think my Opa would agree too :)
 
 

The "Ultimate" Lemon Squares

Crust

- (2) cups of all-purpose flour

- (1/2) cup of sifted icing sugar (Confectioner's Sugar)

- (1) cup of butter (frozen)

Filling

- (4) eggs, beaten

- (2) cups of sugar

- (1/3) cup of lemon juice (freshly squeezed tastes best)

- (2) tsp lemon zest

- (1/4) cup of all-purpose flour

- (1/2) tsp baking powder

- icing sugar for dusting

FOR THE CRUST:
Adjust oven rack to the middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and line the base and sides of the dish with parchment paper. Note that the sides of the dish in this picture aren't fully covered with the parchment paper, however, if you can cover the sides completely, the squares will come out of the dish MUCH easier.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter (using the large holes of a box grater) into the dry mixture. 

Toss the butter pieces to coat, then rub the pieces between your fingers for a couple minutes, until the flour turns coarse and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. 

 
Pour the mixture into the lined pan and press firmly with your fingers to form an even crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

FOR THE FILLING:
Whisk eggs, sugar, flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir well. Pour mixture into the pan on top of the warm crust.

 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling feels firm when touched lightly. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Grasp the parchment and carefully lift the bars onto a cutting board. Cut into serving size squares or bars, wiping your knife clean between cuts if necessary. Sieve confectioners' sugar over bars and serve.