Lemon Bar Recipe

Ack! Forgot to post this before we left town for a long weekend. Here it is, and then I'll write later about our trip to the great white north.

Lemon Bars from The Southern Living Cookbook: From the Foods Staff of Southern Living Magazine (Southern Living)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)
1/3 cup lemon juice
Powdered sugar

Combine 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Spoon flour mixture into an ungreased 13- x 9- x 2-inch pan; press firmly and evenly into pan using fingertips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup flour and baking powder; set aside. Combine eggs, 2 cups sugar, lemon rind, if desired, and lemon juice; stir well. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture, and pour over baked crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Cool on a wire rack. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.
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Notes: I omitted the lemon rind, since I didn't have any lemons. The crust was delicious. I think I could probably repurpose it for other things. I liked the final texture of the bars - they had a nice firm chewiness. And they all disappeared quickly at church, so I guess others liked them too. I'll have to make the recipe again for home consumption sometime soon, after the birthday cake and girl scout cookies are gone.