Lemon Squares

The first time I ever had lemon bars was at a tea party I went to as a child. They had mini cucumber sandwiches and pimento cheese sandwiches and tomato mayonnaise sandwiches. It was a collection of things that no four or five-year-old would want to eat. The dessert table did not have that problem though. It was filled with lemon squares and tiny square cakes with flowers on top of them. 

Though lemon-flavored foods are commonly found in the summer, most lemons are ripe in the winter and spring. So don’t let a summer drink like lemonade fool you because lemons are actually better in the mild temperatures of April. 

The story behind these lemon bars comes from one year when I was in charge of making a cake and my grandmother was in charge of making the lemon squares for my uncle and brother’s joint birthday party. My grandmother, not being the best baker, managed to get the filling on the bottom and the crust on the top. The lemon squares ended up turning into lemon blobs, but they still tasted good.

So, if you are in the business of catering children’s parties or you just want to enjoy some lemon squares, then I highly recommend these. They are straightforward and delicious considering I don’t even like lemons.

For Crust:

1. 1 cup softened butter
2. ¼ tsp salt
3. ½ cup powdered sugar
4. 2 cups flour

For Filling:

1. 4 eggs, beaten lightly
2. 4 tbsp lemon juice
3. 2 cups sugar
4. Grated rind of one lemon
5. 4 tbsp of flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix butter, salt, powdered sugar and flour in a bowl. Blend until combined and when pressed together it holds shape. 
3. Next, press it into the bottom of a 10-by-13 inch baking dish
4. Bake the crust for 20-30 minutes or until slightly golden
5. For the filling, mix the slightly beaten eggs, lemon juice, sugar, lemon rind and flour in a bowl till well combined
6. Reduce the heat to 325 F and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until firm
7. Dust the top with powdered sugar while still warm then cut when cool