Last Ever Lemon Bars

Okay, we went on a picnic yesterday and I made these lemon bars. My friend Patti gave me the recipe (which she got from the Barefoot Contessa). She promised me that they were perfect, with a thick, lemon curd-like filling, and she was almost right. I have tweaked the final recipe just a tad to make adjustments for my taste buds. I though the original recipe was a little too tangy (although my family disagree) so I cut back on the lemon juice and zest just a tad and added a bit of butter to the filling for an even more curd-like consistency. These are only a little more work than the traditional lemon bar recipe but so worth it for a much better bar. And if you like it really lemony, increase the lemon juice to 1 cup and zest to 2 tablespoons.

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar2 cups flour

1/8 t. kosher salt

For the filling:

6 eggs

2 Tbsp. melted butter

3 cups granulated sugar

1 T. grated lemon zest

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-5 lemons)

1 cup flour

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine flour with salt and add to butter until just mixed. Dump dough onto well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten with well-floured hands and press into 9 x 13 baking sheet, building up a 1 inch edge on all sides. Chill. Bake crust for 15 to 20 minutes until very lightly browned. Let cool on wire rack. Leave oven on.

For the filling, whisk together eggs, butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Pour over crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into bars and dust with confectioners sugar.