May: Lemon Bars

As the weather is warming up, bring on the summer flavors! To me, nothing screams summer more than fresh fruits and bright colors. These lemon bars are the perfect dessert to make to kick off your summer season! They have a shortbread crust, a bright and tart lemon filling, topped off with powdered sugar.

Ingredients:

Crust:

½ cup butter

1 cup flour

¼ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

½ cup lemon juice

3 eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9x9 pan. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter, flour, powdered sugar, and salt together until the shortbread dough forms. Press the dough into the base of the pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes until it is light golden brown. While that is in the oven, make the lemon filling. Whisk the lemon juice, eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla together until well combined. Pour filling into your pan with the partially baked crust. Then return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is set (give it a little shake and if the center jiggles slightly, it’s done). Let cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge for at least an hour. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.