Family Night Treat
Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam Lemon Bars
Worth the WorkSunny yellow lemon bars on a buttery shortbread crust, dusted with snowy powdered sugar. They take a little extra work, but they shine bright — just like a sunbeam!
Makes
One 9 x 9 pan (about 16 bars)
Time
About 1 hour, plus cooling
Kid job
Kids can measure the flour and sugar, squeeze the lemons, press the crust into the pan, whisk the filling, and shake on the powdered sugar at the end. A grown-up handles the oven and the zesting.
What you need
- CRUST:
- 10 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus 2 more tablespoons for dusting at the end)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- FILLING:
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (the yellow part of the peel — a grown-up job!)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
How to make it
- 1Ask a grown-up to heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch pan.
- 2In a big bowl, stir together the flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and salt.
- 3Cut the soft butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until it looks like crumbly sand.
- 4Dump the crumbs into the pan and press them down flat with clean hands or the bottom of a cup.
- 5Ask a grown-up to bake the crust for 15–18 minutes, until it is just barely golden.
- 6While the crust bakes, roll the lemons on the counter, then have a grown-up cut them so you can squeeze out 1/3 cup of juice. A grown-up can zest a lemon too.
- 7In another bowl, whisk the lemon juice, eggs, granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, lemon zest, and baking powder until it is smooth and sunny yellow.
- 8Ask a grown-up to pour the filling over the hot crust and slide the pan back in the oven for 17–20 minutes, until the middle does not jiggle.
- 9Let the bars cool all the way — this is the hardest part! Patience makes them set up perfectly.
- 10Sprinkle the last 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar on top like snow, then have a grown-up cut them into squares.
- 11Keep any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Grown-ups: please help with the oven, the stove, and anything sharp.