Growing up, I’d regularly eat raw lemons with salt shaker in hand. Fast forward to now and I’m still putting lemon and salt on everything (this Citrus Salad with Basil Vinaigrette comes to mind). Usually the best supporting actor, lemon gets to be the star of the show today.
Zest and all, we are transforming the most gorgeously fragrant Meyer lemon into a slightly more perky classic treat. We are talking nice and gooey, Meyer lemon bars.
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Using Meyer Lemons to Freshen Up a Classic
While traditional lemon bars are very good, watch out, because these might just catch you by surprise. Meyer lemons are the very essence of floral, sweet, and citrusy — and my oh my, how delicious their curd is sitting on top of a buttery shortbread crust!
I’d like to give a big hug to whoever invented the Meyer lemon. It seems these hybrids of citron and mandarin were destined for inventive takes on classic desserts. Next time you’re at the store, grab three of the heaviest Meyer lemons and you’ll be sure to have plenty of juice for this recipe. Avoiding the white pith, I only remove the thin top layer of skin — zest only – using a microplane.
How to Make Meyer Lemon Bars
Not only do we infuse the curd with zest, we also add it to the crust. A basic shortbread crust comes together by creaming butter and sugar, then folding in flour.
I do this the lazy way with a kitchen aid fitted with a paddle attachment, but you could just as easily do this part by hand with a little elbow grease. Pop that in the oven and we can get the curd ready by the time our crust is cooling.
The curd can easily be whisked by hand and poured directly into the baked crust, making it come together in very few steps. Learn from my mistakes, and use parchment paper to easily lift these out of the pan. There’s no easy way to remove fragile lemon bars otherwise. That is, unless you were going for the whole deconstructed look.
For some reason, I’m always trying to rush the cutting phase of desserts. Even though I know better! If you’re tempted to remove these while they’re warm, don’t do it. I’ve been known to throw them in the refrigerator to move things along faster. The cooler they are, the easier a clean knife glides through and makes for pretty squares.
Did you make these with meyer lemons or regular lemons? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Meyer Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the shortbread:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting
- 2 tsp Meyer lemon zest
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the lemon curd:
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
- 2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
To make the shortbread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a 9 by 9-inch (23 by 23-cm) baking dish with a rectangular sheet of parchment paper, overhanging so you can easily lift the cooked bars out of the pan.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, add the room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar and cream on medium speed until smooth and pale yellow, 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest and mix to combine, then add the flour and salt. Mix just until the flour comes together to form a sticky dough. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and gently even out the crust with your fingers. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, until faintly golden. Allow to cool slightly before pouring in the filling.
To make the lemon curd:
- Whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium bowl until emulsified. Add the flour and mix to combine.
To assemble and bake:
- Pour the lemon curd directly over the shortbread crust. Bake for 30 minutes, until the curd is set and the filling is dry to the touch. Set on a wire rack to cool completely before removing or transfer to the refrigerator. To remove, grab the parchment paper handles and lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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