When I’m not drawing or painting, I dabble some in gardening.  I have a Meyer lemon tree that I’ve managed to keep alive, and its lemons are just ripening.  I like Meyer lemons since they’re larger than regular lemons, and not as tart.

I made lemon bars for the first time this weekend, and they are awesome!  Let me know if you give them a shot!

Ingredients:
Crust:
½ c. butter, softened
¼ c. white sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
pinch salt

Filling:
2 eggs
¾ c. white sugar
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
zest of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large lemon (appx. ¼ cup)

• 1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• 2.   In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 1 c. flour, pinch of salt, and ¼ c. sugar.  Press into the bottom of an ungreased 8×8 inch pan.
• 3.   Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm and golden.  It’s better to slightly over bake the crust than under bake it.
• 4.   In another bowl, whisk together the remaining ¾ c. sugar and 2 tablespoons flour.  Whisk in the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Pour over the baked crust.
• 5.   Bake for an additional 25 minutes in the oven.  Bars will firm up as they cool.

I wind up having them sit under the broiler for a minute or two when they’re done to create just a little bit of a burnt sugar crust on the top.  Enjoy!