These lovely bars are infused with lemon flavor. A lot of lemons are required. Read the ingredients list carefully, as zest is needed in the dough while juice is needed in both the dough and glaze. Make sure there is enough.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bars, cookies, lemon, shortbread
Author: Beth Cato
Ingredients
Bars
3cupsall-purpose flour
1/3cupcornstarch
1 1/4cupsconfectioners' sugar
1/4cupfinely shredded lemon zest from 4 giant lemons or about 6 large lemons
1 1/2cupsunsalted butter 3 sticks, room temperature
1Tablespoonlemon juice
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
Glaze
2 1/2cupsconfectioners' sugar
3Tablespoonslemon juice
1Tablespoonlight corn syrup
1/2teaspoonvanilla extract use clear extract if available, as regular will tint glaze a bit
Instructions
Preheat oven at 300-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
In a bowl, sift together flour and cornstarch; set aside.
In another bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon zest. Using fingers, break apart the zest within the sugar to distribute the threads and release the oils. The result should be more yellow in coloration and quite fragrant.
In a big bowl, beat together the butter, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla extract until it becomes creamy, scraping bowl as needed. Gradually mix in the sugar and zest. Slowly work the flour/cornstarch mix into the big bowl. The dough should become pliable and cling together, until it can be formed into a ball.
Press dough evenly into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes.
Immediately make glaze. Stir together everything to form a thick, spreadable glaze; thicken with more sugar, if necessary, or add extra lemon juice or water to loosen it. Spread glaze over bars.
Cool completely, stashing dish in fridge to speed process if desired.
Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board. Slice into bars. Store in a sealed container, with waxed paper between stacked layers, either at room temperature or in the fridge. Keeps for at least 2 days.