Old-Fashioned Lemon Squares

For some odd reason, one night earlier this week, as I was lying in bed, I suddenly found myself with an insatiable craving for lemon squares. I say "odd" because I normally don't make these delicate treats very often, and because I usually prefer lemon meringue pie. While it was far too late to embark on a culinary adventure that evening (considering I had to be at work the next day), I vowed that once I was able to secure a bit of free time, I would make a batch of lemon squares at some point during the week -- which happened to be last night. 

I realize that this will be my third blog entry where I reference The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day, and I want to assure you, I am in no way receiving any sort of monetary compensation for this... unfortunately... However, after perusing a few cookbooks, I found their recipe for "Sunny Lemon Bars" to be most suitable to my taste at that particular moment. 

I had to alter the recipe a bit to accommodate what ingredients were in my possession, but the end result is nothing short of magnificent: a delicious filling that is neither too sweet or too tart with a hearty shortbread crust. 

While sharing a recipe for lemon squares in mid-November might be considered odd, as this treat is usually reserved for the spring and summer months, I'm a staunch advocate of preparing whatever you want whenever you want -- and to hell with anyone who says differently. Also, I attached the handle "Old-Fashioned" to the title of the recipe because 1) I believe that food ultimately tastes better when infused with a bit of nostalgia, and 2) if I had to imagine a true representation of the lemon squares of yore, I believe this recipe produces an ideal facsimile. 

Finally, I must insist (as I've done before) that it is imperative to use fresh lemons. Fresh lemon juice is far less acidic than the concentrated juice, creating an overall more pleasant flavor. Also, for any recipe that incorporates lemon juice, adding a bit of fresh lemon zest will aid in enhancing the flavor (and besides, if you already have the lemons, you may as well zest 'em). 


Old-Fashioned Lemon Squares 

Crust: 

2 sticks of butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, and stir until they are blended and form a thick dough. Press the dough evenly into a greased large, rectangular baking dish. Bake for around 15-20 minutes, or until the crust becomes a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and reserve. Reduce heat to 300 degrees.

 Filling:
The juice and zest of 3 large lemons (around 3/4 cup juice and 3 tsp. zest)
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
6 tbs. all-purpose flour 

In a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for around 25 minutes or until the filling has set firmly. Remove from the oven and cool. 

Once cooled, dust the top with confectioner's sugar if desired. Then cut and serve the squares as you wish. 

(I honestly cannot believe how gorgeous these squares turned out to be! Unfortunately for the squares, though, they are not too pretty to eat...)

 

Enjoy!