Lovely Lemon Squares

I have a big confession. I've had a HUGE crush on lemon for quite awhile now. What's not to love?!? I always have at least 2 fresh lemons in my fridge and I guarantee that you will NEVER EVER see a bottle of that {gasp!} bottled 'lemon juice' in my fridge!! That stuff doesn't taste like the real thing in the slightest. I can't be the only person who thinks that, right?!!

All I know is that I love the smell of fresh lemon zest/juice whether it's in a salad dressing, cookies, cakes or swimming in some iced tea. Lemons are so fresh and get a pretty bad rap for being sour when they really spruce up dishes. Plus, who has the will power to walk by a lemon meringue pie without wanting a piece (or two)?!?!

A couple weeks ago I saw a big bag of lemons on sale (I am nothing if not a frugal shopper!) and I knew that they must be mine! When I got home with my 8 lemons I plopped them in my Tupperware produce container. I LOVE these containers because of the simple fact that they keep produce alive longer in my fridge (which is no mean feat!). Even with my miracle containers I needed to find a dish to use my lemons asap. So, I went online in the search for a truly stellar lemon square.

To me, the perfect lemon square will balance the sourness and tang of the lemon with the sweetness of the base and the powdered sugar on top. Our family of five are all avid (or is that rabid?) lemon meringue pie lovers so I knew that I had some pretty picky and knowledgeable customers to please when it came to a lemon dessert. These squares definitely make the cut! Not only were they super easy but they were delicious! A square of these babies with a dollop of vanilla ice cream would be heaven!

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com but it barely resembles the original recipe. That's because I didn't follow the original recipe!! Oh no! I am a maverick in the kitchen. Spirited with a spatula! A rebel with a rolling pin!! You get the idea. Instead of following the recipe I made the changes (as well as a couple of tweaks of my own) that was suggested by a woman named Paige who reviewed the recipe. Ok, so what I did wasn't very revolutionary but you'll forgive me when you taste these squares (which are very addicting!!). Give these squares a try. They're the perfect end to a summer meal.

Lovely Lemon Squares
Yield: 24 squares

Base
3/4 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 315F (not 350F, three fifteen!!). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.

Combine all of the base ingredients and combine well with a pastry blender. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and gently pat down. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until base is slightly golden brown. Increase oven temperature to 350F.

Lemon Layer
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup lemon zest, loosely packed (I used the zest from 4 lemons)
3/4 cup - 1 cup fresh lemon juice (I used the juice from 4 lemons which equalled 3/4 cup)
Garnish - icing sugar

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add white sugar, baking powder, flour, lemon zest and lemon juice; mix until just combined. Pour over baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar just before serving. Store remaining squares in a covered container on the counter.

Inspired by: Allrecipes.com (poster: Paige)

Note: If you don't finish all of these squares in one sitting, you'll have to reapply the sifted icing sugar before serving them again. The icing sugar 'disappears' not too long after applied.

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