Living in a raincloud, I haven’t really seen the sun (or any light after about 5:00pm) since last October.  Since taking a vacation isn’t an option right now, I decided to bring a little sunshine into my own life by making a batch of these Lemon Bars and scrolling through photos from last summer when the skies were blue and the grass was dry.  I love that food and memories can bring me sunshine in even the grayest of Januarys!

And this little girl is my baby and my perpetual sunshine.  She’s turned my bad days into good more times than I can count.  I love her with all of my mama heart!

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars can be all over the place.  Some are on the tart side, some on the sweet side, some with a thick crust, some with hardly any crust at all.  I would say that mine land exactly in the middle. But what really sets mine apart from most of the recipes out there is I use cornstarch in the crust to make the bars extra flaky and delicious.

Let’s get started!

The Crust

Start by melting the butter in a microwave safe bowl and adding the flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and salt to the melted butter.

Mix just until combined.  You don’t want to overmix  the dough or you won’t have that flaky texture you’re after.

I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to get the crust level in the pan.

The Filling

While the crust is baking, mix the lemon, sugar, eggs, zest, and salt together.  I use the same bowl I used to make the crust.  Sometimes I wash it first, sometimes I don’t – ha!  But I do try to have the filling come together right before the crust comes out of the oven so the filling goes on it right away.

Baked Crust

This is what the crust should look like after 20 minutes, you don’t want dark brown – just set up and starting to brown on the edges.

Pour the filling immediately over the crust

And bake for 20 more minutes. And dust with powdered sugar.

Then sit back and enjoy the best lemon bar you’ve ever had!

The crust is so flaky and the filling is perfectly sweet!

The Best Lemon Bars

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 c salted butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar, more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cup sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons flour
Zest of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium sized, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. To the melted butter, add flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, and kosher salt. Use a fork to gently stir together, mixing only until combined. The less you mix it, the flakier your crust will be. Press the crust into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup to get the crust level.

Bake at 350 until the edges of the crust are very lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

While the crust is baking, whisk together the sugar, eggs, zest, salt, and lemon juice until well blended. (I just use the same bowl I used to make the crust – few dishes is always better!). I like to make the filling when there is about 10 minutes left on baking the crust so that filling goes straight on to the crust after mixing.

When the crust is done baking, pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust, return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center is set when the pan is gently nudged. Immediately dust with powdered sugar. Store, covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.