Shaker Lemon Bars Recipes

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 SQUARE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven.
• Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until bars are set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

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.

SHAKER LEMON PIE

Steps:

• In a large glass bowl, combine lemons, sugar and salt. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature., Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet. Trim even with rim. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy; lightly brush over crust. Add lemon mixture, flour and vanilla to eggs; mix well. Pour into crust. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top., Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 400°. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes longer. Cover edge loosely with foil during the last 10 if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack; serve warm.