This afternoon I made these lemon squares from Eatingwell.com.  My mom makes the most incredible lemon bars.  I could probably eat an entire pan if no one stopped me and if I wouldn’t go into a sugar and butter coma afterward.  When I came across this recipe I had to see how it compared to my mom’s butter laden bars with tart and luscious filling.

Lemon bars must have a buttery, crunchy base, a smooth, lemony filling and a crunchy, sugary top.  I was hopeful that these bars would measure up.  There is a bit of butter in the crust to provide the richness, and the use of lemon juice and zest in the filling makes these bars incredibly flavorful.  The recipe calls for white whole wheat flour, but since all I had was regular whole wheat I opted for plain old all purpose flour.  I probably could have done half all purpose and half whole wheat, and will probably try that next time.

The verdict:  Yum.  Crunchy, sweet, buttery goodness topped with incredibly tart, sweet gooey lemon and a crunchy topping sprinkled with powdered sugar.  I will definitely be making these again.  Next time I will try to get some white whole wheat flour or use a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat.

Another great thing about these lemon squares is that you don’t dirty too many dishes, and they are a snap to prepare and bake.  Use the same bowl to mix the filling as you did to mix up the crust and you’ve saved yourself some time at the sink.

A quick tip.  After slicing the bars and sprinkling them with sugar, I let them sit in the fridge for about an hour.  This made them much easier to remove from the pan and the chill made the lemon even more refreshing.  Enjoy.

Lemon Squares From Eatingwell.com

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Filling

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon white whole-wheat flour, or all-purpose flour
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preparation

1. To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square or 7-by-11-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Stir flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in butter, oil and lemon zest until blended and crumbly. Press the dough in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust until firm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
3. To prepare filling: Whisk sugar, lemon zest and juice, egg, egg yolk and flour in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour evenly over the hot crust.
4. Bake until set, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, at least 2 hours. Cut into squares with a lightly oiled knife. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving : 126 Calories; 4 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 30 mg Cholesterol; 22 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 42 mg Sodium; 23 mg Potassium