Lemon Tea Bars Recipes

LEMON BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the flour, butter and confectioners' sugar. Pat into an ungreased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. , For filling, in a small bowl, beat eggs. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon juice and zest; beat until frothy. Pour over the crust. Bake 25 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into bars.

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.

TEA BAR

Steps:

• On a large serving tray, arrange the teapots alongside the bottle of liqueur, a small pitcher of simple syrup, the bowl of whipped cream, and a plate of the candied lemon peel.
• Invite guests to sample different teas and flavor them as they desire.
• Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat. Add bruised mint leaves and allow to steep.
• In a saucepan combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cook's note: For the afternoon tea, make a double batch of simple syrup. Reserve half for the tea bar and use the other half to make the candied lemon peel.
• Using a vegetable peeler cut the yellow part of the lemon from the stem end down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch strips. Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels, 2 more times, in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water. In the same pan combine the peels with 1 cup of simple syrup. Simmer over medium-low heat until the peels are soft, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat to combine. Transfer the whipped cream to a serving bowl. (The whipped cream can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
• Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
• For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
• Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

SHAKER LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Slice lemons as thinly as possible; remove seeds. Toss slices with 2 cups sugar; transfer mixture to a flat resealable plastic container. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
• Place butter, salt, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture is crumbly and starts to hold together.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-by-17-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, making sure there are no holes. There should be at least 1/2-inch crust of dough going up the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes
• Place lemon-sugar mixture and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until lemon rinds are in 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces, 30 to 40 seconds. Pour mixture over cookie crust. Bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Trim 1/2 inch around edges of pan. Cut into about 60 1 1/4-by-2-inch pieces. Sift confectioners' sugar over cookies.

LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a 21 or 22cm square, shallow baking tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, ground rice and sugar in a bowl with the butter and rub in until fine crumbs form. Stir in the milk with a cutlery knife. Tip into the tin and press down evenly. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden.
• Remove the tin and lower oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Mix the lemon juice and eggs, then sieve into a bowl with the sugar, flour and zest. Whisk to combine, pour over the base, then bake for 10-15 mins until the top is just set. Cool in the tin, dust with icing sugar, then slice.

LEMON-DATE BARS

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Butter parchment. Whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a bowl. Work in butter with your fingertips until combined and mixture holds together when pinched. Press crust evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake crust until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Filling: Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, soak dates in boiling water 15 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Puree dates in a food processor with enough of soaking liquid (about 1/2 cup) to make a spreadable paste. (You should have about 1 1/4 cups.)
• While dates are soaking, whisk together granulated sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in eggs, then lemon zest and juice.
• Spread date paste evenly over baked crust. Bake 4 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees, pour filling over date layer, then bake until just set, about 20 minutes more.
• Let cool on a wire rack 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edges, then lift out of dish using parchment. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

LEMON-BLUEBERRY BLONDIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing a 1-inch overhang.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add white chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and incorporated with the butter. Scrape mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice, zest, and salt until all is combined. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
• Stir in flour. Using a rubber spatula, fold in blueberries. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer; it will be a bit thick.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow blondies to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan. When ready to serve, lift the blondies out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang and place on a cutting board.
• To make the glaze: Whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the blondies. Slice and serve.

ALMOND TEA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter and then add sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Beat in eggs one at a time.
• Add extract.
• Add flour and salt, mixing well.
• Pour batter into a large cast-iron skillet (9-11") that has been lined with foil.
• Sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Cool completely and remove foil.