Springtime gets warm here, feeling like Summer to most of the US.  For us SoCal kids, this time of year makes us long for the REFRESHING tang of Lemon and when you live in San Diego, pretty much every one of your local neighbors knows someone with a few lemon trees for fresh squeezed juice! It’s one of the perks of living in the area.

These delicious lemon bars have the perfect level of ZING in their lemony filling, a touch of delicate crispness in their crust, and just a dash of sweetness dusted on top.  We like to serve them with a candied lemon peel on top (or fresh berries at home). We love that they’re such a PERFECT COMPLIMENT to a rich, decadent dessert table loaded with other classics.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1/2 baking sheet
  • 1lb. – Unsalted butter (softened)
  • 8 oz. – Cream cheese (softened)
  • 1 cup – Sugar (granulated)
  • 1/4 tsp. – Salt
  • 1 tsp. – Ginger (ground)
  • 1 lb. 9 oz. – Flour, AP

Filling

  • 12 each – Eggs
  • 6 cups – Sugar (granulated )
  • 4 Tbsp. – Lemon zest
  • 2 cups – Lemon juice
  • 2 cups – Flour, AP

Directions

Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Combine butter, cream cheese and sugar til fluffy
  3. Add spices combine
  4. Add flour mix until forms a ball
  5. Sheet dough to 10 on sheeter (can go directly to sheeter)
  6. Place dough in extender 1/2 sheet with parchment paper
  7. Let chill for 10 minutes
  8. Bake for 14 minutes
  9. Remove from oven & set aside
  10. Lift the cooked dough from sheet pan
  11. Place foil on bottom of sheet pan and then parchment
  12. Push foil up the sides of extender to create an extra barrier

Filling

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Mix all ingredients together in bowl with whisk
  3. Place filling on top of the cooked crust
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350º
  5. Cool and dust with powdered sugar

Yields

  • 48 pieces (1 1/4″ x 2 1/4″)