Classic Lemon Squares

I love anything made with lemon!  It's so bright and tart.  Yum!  I must get it from my Mama because she loves all things lemon, too.  When she came over the other day we decided to bake something together.  So, of course, it had to be something made with lemons.  We chose the old-fashioned favorite, Classic Lemon Squares.  These are great because I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.  No special trip to the grocery store required.   They go great with a cup of tea, too!  Maybe you could make these for your Mama on Mother's Day this Sunday, along with a nice cup of tea?  Here's how my Mama and I did it:


CLASSIC LEMON SQUARES

1 cup + 2 TBS flour, divided
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 TBS lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix 1 cup of the flour and powdered sugar together.  Cut in the butter.  Mix until it resembles pie dough.

Press the dough into an 8 inch square baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat together eggs, granulated sugar, 2 TBS flour, lemon juice and lemon zest for at least 1 minute (use an electric mixer).  Pour the mixture over the baked crust (it will be thin, that's ok).

Bake another 20-25 minutes, or until the lemon topping has set.

Let it cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cut into small squares.

These are sweet and tart, so good!  Keep leftover squares in the refrigerator.

*Tip about zesting a lemon:  Use a small grater and only take off the yellow part of the rind.  The white part is bitter, you don't want that.

*Tip about juicing a lemon:  Roll the lemon on the counter before you cut it and juice it.  That will brake up the juice sacks and you'll get more lemon juice when you squeeze it.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!  Enjoy your day (and maybe a lemon square or two)!