lemon bars on brown butter shortbread recipe

If you walked into my kitchen you would see about a dozen magazines and recipe books on various counters. Some are opened, and I think all are marked with recipes I would like to try today, tomorrow, or when ever I can fit it in with out the oven running too much since it is so hot outside right now. 

Today, the lemon/lime bars won out. Many reasons to love the lemon bar. Obviously since they are a bar, you only have to pour and bake just 2 or 3 times, using the same bowls and dish makes clean up fairly quick, and who can ever have enough lemons and limes in the summer? And just this morning I found a new food blog and recipe worth giving a go.

Lemon Bars on Brown Butter Shortbread

original recipe from "Tartine" found via what's on my plate

Yield: one 9-by-13-inch baking pan

For the crust:
-1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (2 oz/55 g)
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (7 1/2 oz/215 g)
-3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (6 oz/170 g)

For the filling:

-1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2 1/2 oz/70 g)
-2 1/4 cups sugar (1 pound/455 g)
-1/4 cup lime juice plus 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice (9 oz/28o ml total)
-lime zest, grated from 1 small lime
-6 large whole eggs
-1 large egg yolk
-pinch of fine sea salt
-confectioners’ sugar for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

To make the crust: sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the flour. Add the butter and beat on low speed just until a smooth dough forms.

Press the dough evenly into the pan and allow it to come up about a 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. (I don't have pie weights so I just place a bit smaller glass baking pan on top of the parchment paper.)

Bake the crust until it is a deep golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

To make the filling: While the crust is baking sift the flour into a mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar until blended. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve the sugar. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt. Add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

Once the crust is ready pour the filling directly into the pan (leave the pan in the oven while you do this to make it easier*). Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. and bake just until the center of the custard is set, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Let cool completely on a wire rock, then cover and chill well before cutting. Cut into squares and dust the top with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. They will keep in an airtight container or well covered in the baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

*I should have left the pan in the oven while pouring because a bit spilled over as I was putting it bake into the oven. 


We had lemon bars a couple of weeks ago at a family get together that were more cake like and Mat loved them. So off to find a new recipe more cake-like and less shortbread. If you bake a bar that fits the above description I would love if you would share it.