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fresh lemons + a rockin mom = killer dessert

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Nothing improves a day like a bag of handpicked lemons from your biggest fan/hot baker brother, Kevin. Your eyes could be swollen and red from allergies and you may have had a rough morning but one deep breath of a San Luis Obispo lemon and you will perk up and start dreaming of lemon pasta, lemon pound cake, lemon vinaigrettes, lemon cookies, lemon doused artichokes…the dreaming doesn’t stop.

You could say that I have a weakness for lemons…I also have a weakness for classic rock. I grew up listening to it and have fond memories of my parents waking up early on the weekends, turning on the local classic rock station and cooking breakfast. I always thought my parents were pretty cool for listening to rock music when most of my friends’ parents listened to easy listening or country. Plus, my mom is a die-hard Pearl Jam fan and is known to crank the music up so loud that the neighbors can hear it. But she doesn’t care – she just dances and sings into the vacuum… I love that about her. On this Friday night after work I decided to turn on the local classic rock station and one of my favorite Scorpions songs was on.  The weather was perfect, the windows were down and the lemons and I were singing and air drumming to “No One Like You”.  Seems fitting, don’t you think.

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My mom always made the most amazing brownies and lemon squares. I always loved baking with her and then proceeding to eat as many as I could before the rest of my family devoured them. We would make them so often that the recipe page in her Betty Crocker was nearly transparent.

can you see my flip flops in the bottom of the picture?

can you see my flip flops in the bottom of the picture?

My mom’s lemon bars are chewy, crumbly, rich, sweet and lemony. The buttery crust almost melts in your mouth and the lemon filling is just sweet enough to cut through the tart that inevitably finds its way into the back corners of your cheeks.

Start with the crust, a simple mixture of butter, flour, powdered sugar and lemon zest. Never underestimate the power of lemon zest. Finely grated zest can add so much more flavor to any dish and it’s a key ingredient in this recipe. Don’t hold back, it will be worth it. After pressing the crust into a pan and putting into the oven, mix the rest of the ingredients until they are light and fluffy, pour it onto your hot crust and bake.

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i doubled the batch which is why there are 2 sticks of butter and 4 eggs.

Be prepared to spill crumbs all over the couch when you think you can sneak a quick snack in…it’s worth it.
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This recipe is from my Grandma Halsey’s Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Lemon Squares
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour or half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened – make sure the butter is really soft.
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Mix flour, butter, powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of zest. Press in ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches, building up 1/2-inch edges. Bake crust 20 minutes.

Beat granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, baking powder, salt and eggs with electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Pour over hot crust.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center.

Cool; dust with powdered sugar. Cut into about 1 1/2-inch squares.

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May 6, 2009

Comments

  1. Ciera says

    May 7, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    Awh I can’t believe I haven’t had moms lemon squares in so long! I also I have dibs on that betty crocker book 🙂
    Well now I am off to make lemon squares thanks for the reminder!!!!

  2. desertskyz says

    May 7, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    Awww! I fell very honored, thank you for your kind words. Lemon squares are one of my fav’s. Betty (crocker) and I were always good friends. Thanks for sharing. “Now where are my damn Lemon Squares?”

  3. Loren says

    May 8, 2009 at 2:18 am

    Best blog ever!!!! I loved these and can’t wait until I can bake these up myself next week. How about a good peach cobbler recipe that I can bake in my new Dutch oven????

    🙂
    L.

    • cbandj says

      May 8, 2009 at 1:47 pm

      I might need to channel my inner grandma for a peach cobbler recipe!! Have a wonderful birthday playing in the cabin with the boys!

  4. Tere and William says

    May 8, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    So i am totally not a cooker.. like at all. But i am going to learn in one week from today! AHH! Any way. i totally made these the other day. i was nervous because i had never cooked in my life, but they were sooo good.Thank you for the recipe! I loved em!

    • cbandj says

      May 8, 2009 at 4:06 pm

      Ha ha! Welcome to married life! You are going to be great! I’m glad you liked the lemon squares!

  5. Melinda says

    May 10, 2009 at 3:54 pm

    Wish me luck I’m going to attempt to make them today:) Thanks for the recipe!

    • cbandj says

      May 11, 2009 at 1:57 pm

      I can’t wait to hear how they turn out!

  6. Kevin/Hot Baker Brother says

    May 19, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    Mmm!! I love your lemon bars, especially the crust! First tarragon with strawberries and now powdered sugar in the crust! It was so delicate and tender. Perfect!

    • cbandj says

      May 20, 2009 at 3:36 am

      I couldn’t have done it without your lemons! They were beautiful, sweet and ultra juicy!

  7. tifanie says

    May 20, 2009 at 2:45 pm

    oh wow. nostalgia. might have to make those, like, immediately.

    • cbandj says

      May 21, 2009 at 3:18 am

      🙂 thank you! it was for me as well!

  8. Josh Reno says

    May 17, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    Hey. Your mom works at my old school, Foothill. She told me to go to this site and unfortunately I forgot about it until I was thinking about my old school. You have a lot of wonderful looking recipes on here. I want to be a pastry chef when I get older. I’m going to graduate, join the military, and get through college for free. Hopefully i’ll be successful. This is a really great blog. Tell your mom I said hi!

    • cbandj says

      May 18, 2010 at 4:21 pm

      Hi Josh! I’m so glad you like my blog 🙂 I really hope you get to follow your dream and go to pastry school some day – cooking is so much fun! Good luck and thank you for the kind words! I’ll tell mom you said hi.

Trackbacks

  1. the everyday dessert. – says:
    May 3, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    […] sell for ‘Mr. Cake For Breakfast’ or for myself for that matter.  I love, love, love dessert. Lemon squares, brownies, and cobbler – I love it all and I have absolutely no intention of saying goodbye […]

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