Celebrate the start of spring with some delicious lemon bars!
For the Crust:
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
½ salt
1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour
For the filling:
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 5 large lemons)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Make the crust:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom and all four sides of a 9×9-inch square baking pan with two sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other and allowing them to hang over all four sides by at least one inch to create a sling.
Combine 1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon zest with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Add 12 tablespoons of room-temperature butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula as needed.
Add 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour. Mix until fine crumbs of dough form. Transfer to the baking pan and use your hands to press into an even layer. Bake until the crust is light golden-brown around the edges, 15 to 22 minutes.
Make the filling:
Crack 4 room-temperature large eggs into a medium bowl and whisk until beaten. Add 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, 3/4 cup lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowl of eggs. Whisk until smooth. Sift 1/3 cup all-purpose flour over the mixture and whisk until smooth and combined.
When the crust is ready, immediately pour in the filling while the crust is hot. Bake until the filling is set with a slight wiggle in the center for 18 to 20 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let it cool for about 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
Grasping the excess parchment, lift the slab out of the baking dish and place it on a cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces, dipping the knife in hot water and wiping it dry between each cut for the cleanest-looking pieces. Finish off with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Enjoy!