Lemon Bars with Shortcrust Base
Dr Houda Elhassan
Assalamu Alaykum everyone!
What a year 2020 has been! I trust we’ve all taken advantage of the new found time to learn a new skill, hobby or even bake!
Like myself, you’re probably scrolled through your social media newsfeed and bookmarked many recipes that you may never revisit. Don’t despair, now is the time to discover your inner “masterchef” through this simple recipe.
One of my favourite items to bake during this lockdown has been lemon bars with a shortcrust base. The sweetness of the crust and tang of the lemon will definitely have you coming back for more. Most of the ingredients are staples that you’ll most likely already have in your fridge and pantry. So time to roll up your sleeves and get started!
If you’d like to see more home cooking recipes check out my instagram blog @the.blendedkitchen. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the base:
2 cups of plain flour
250 g unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
½ cup of white sugar
For the lemon layer:
4 eggs
1 ½ cups of white sugar
¼ cup plain flour
Lemon zest (2 lemons)
Lemon juice (2 lemons)
Method
Base
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and pre-grease and line a 23 cm x 23 cm pan with baking paper
Note: This can be done in your food processor too
Step 2
In your mixer mix your butter, sugar and flour together
Step 3
You should achieve a crumb-like consistency like this
Step 4
Mix together by hand to form a dough
Step 5
Pat dough down in your lined pan until about 1 cm thick
Note: do NOT touch the crust as tempting as it may be, otherwise you’ll create holes in it.
Step 6
Bake at 170℃ for 20 minutes or until the edges start to become golden
Lemon layer
Note: this step can be done with a mixer or a whisk.
Step 1
Mix your sugar, plain flour, eggs, lemon rind and lemon juice together
Step 2
Stand for 5 minutes and then mix again (make sure there are no lumps)
Step 3
Pour your lemon mixture on top of the shortcrust base
Step 4
Put back in the oven at 170℃ for another 20 minutes (until the custard sets)
Step 5
Wait until it has completely cooled before cutting. Dust with icing sugar just before serving