Post by dl on Nov 4, 2012 15:29:57 GMT -5
Triple Layer Lemon Bars
Modified from Mrs Fields’ Best Cookie Book
9x9 baking dish, mixer, mixing bowl, sifter, 1 cup, ½ cup, & ¼ cup dry measure, 1 cup liquid measure, lemon juicer, fine grater, teaspoon, tablespoon, rubber spatula, sauce pan, wire whisk, strainer
Ingredients
Crust
1 stick salted butter
28g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (clear)
135g flour
Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp lemon extract
182 gm powdered sugar
1 large egg
Lemon Curd
4 large egg yolks
1Tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 lemons grated for peeling and squeezed for juice
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Crust
Preheat oven to 325 F
Mix butter and sugar in a medium bowl, gradually increasing speed to high, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and flour and mix at low speed. When flour is no longer dry, increase mixing speed. At first the dough will seem dry and crumbly, but then it will stick together and be moist and soft. It should be ready at this point. Press dough into baking pan and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes). Prick crust with fork and bake for 26 minutes or until crust just starts browning in a few spots. If crust isn’t done enough, it will stick to the bottom of the pan and won’t come out. Cool before adding cream cheese filling.
Cream Cheese Filling
Cream cheese, sugar, lemon extract with mixer. Blend at high speed until it is well mixed and starts getting a little fluffy. Add large egg and mix well. Pour over the shortbread crust. Put in freezer until it is hard enough to pour the lemon curd over.
Lemon Curd
Grate peel from lemons and set aside. Squeeze juice from lemons, strain seeds out, and put in liquid measure. Add water until the water and lemon juice mixed together equals 1 cup. Put egg yolks, corn starch, granulated sugar into sauce pan and put over medium heat. Stir with wire whisk and add lemon juice mix a little at a time. Keep stirring once all of the liquid is added. Stir until it starts to thicken. Add lemon peel and butter. Stir until it is thickened substantially.
Pour lemon curd over cream cheese mix. Bake at 325 F. Check every 20 minutes until the entire top looks “scalded” and it is brown on the very edges. It may take 50-60 minutes.
Makes 16 bars that are 6 cm square.
Storage and Shelf Life
To store, wrap each bar in plastic wrap. They are messy and will leak at least a little. They will last a week in the refrigerator that way. Or place into a gallon size zip lock freezer bag. Suck the air out and place into another zip lock freezer bag. They will last a couple of months that way. If you place them into a third zip lock bag with the air sucked out and then freeze them, they are good for about 6 months.
These can be shipped in the United States, if frozen first. They can NOT be shipped over seas.
