Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars have always been an Evans family favorite. Last year for Grandma Evans 90th birthday celebration 4 people brought lemon bars and we had another brought lime bars. Somewhere we must have a genetic predisposition for lemon bars and all things sour. I tried all of the different variations at the party and they were all very distinct and good in there own way. For instance, Tyler likes his lemon bars with a very thick crust. Personally, I like my lemon bars to be flaky and lemony to the extreme.

A couple of points need to be brought up before cooking a lemon bars. Because lemon bars contain lemon, special precautions need to be taken. While it may not seem like a big deal, it is imperative that you use a non-reactive pan to bake the lemon bars, preferably glass. It is also imparative you use a non-reactive bowl when preparing the filling. This will prevent you lemon bars from tasting like a battery.


Crust:
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, Crisco and sugar. Gently combine until the mixture is crumbly and then gently press into a 9x13 glass pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.

Filling:
4 Eggs well beaten
1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Lemon Juice
1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 t Baking Powder
Lemon zest of 1 whole lemon

In non-reactive mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture over the prebaked crust and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 350F.

Allow the lemon bars to cool for several hours and dust with powdered sugar.