When life gives you lemons, you can make traditional lemonade or, you can make damn near anything you want that ideally, results in a bright, citrusy dessert that’s perfect for the warmer months.
For us, there’s just something about these tart treats that we simply adore and we even have the rights to our own coveted lemon cake that our great Aunt Vi passed down to us during a visit to Birmingham, England.
So you can imagine our sheer delight, when Heather Briggs, owner of Gold Star Pies in Colorado Springs, (whose people are also fans of the yellowy sweets) as she shares her recipe for lemon bars which she confirms “has been carrying our family for years.”
“These lemon bars have been showing up at birthday parties, church potlucks, baby showers, and neighbor’s houses since I was a kid,” says Briggs. “So yes, it’s my mom’s recipe. They are tart and delicious, with a shortbread cookie crust.”
LEMON BARS
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup cold butter
- 4 beaten eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the flour and powdered sugar.
Cut in the butter until the mixture is uniform and clings together. Press into a 9×13 pan, and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the beaten eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice.
In a small bowl stir together the flour and baking powder, and then add that to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Pour over the baked crust, and bake an additional 25 minutes, until slightly browned on the top.
Remove the bars from the oven and dust with additional powdered sugar.
Cool completely before serving and store in the refrigerator.
- Head to Gold Star Pies Facebook page to also find her lemon meringue pie recipe (in photos) & keep the sunshine desserts coming!
*Header image courtesy of Gold Star Pies
