Houstonist Cooks: Lemon Bars

Houstonist mentioned the Citrus Festival earlier, and what better use for lemons, limes or other tart and juicy citrus fruit (if you find an unusual variety you need to make use of) than bars! Yummy, tart-sweet lemon bars dusted with powdered sugar and maybe, if you feel all "Martha" a nice drizzle of melted chocolate (splurge, use the good stuff).

Lemon Bars

1 cup butter, softened (no, this is not Paula Deen's recipe)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 egs
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 lemons, juiced - plus two tablespoons zest, if desired

Preheat oven to 350.

Blend butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until firm and golden. In another medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar and four tablespoons of flour, blend in eggs, juice and zest. Pour over pre-baked crust and bake for 20 minutes. Bars will firm up as they cool, once cooled completely, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle with chocolate if desired and consume. If you make lime bars, add a drop of green food coloring, if you desire.

With all the citrus coming on the market, you can make all kinds of bars, scads of them, and share them, with Houstonist. Okay, with your friends...but, who knows what might happen, you can come out and meet us, at our first birthday party, and then have us over for lemon bars!!!