Meyer Lemon Bars



I-spy with my big eyes... lemons in my neighbor's backyard. Lotsa of them. I asked Brek to ask Ms. Leta for a few. At that time, none of the lemons were ripen. One day, Ms. Leta came over with too many lemons. They were huge. I assumed they must be meyer lemons.

I wanted some to make lemon cookies. Because they were naturally grown, I could use the lemon zest. And I did. I made so many sweets from Ms. Leta's meyer lemons: lemon cookies, lemon macarons, lemon curd cupcakes, and lemon custard cake. I mean, there were just too many lemons.

Remember that meyer lemons are huge. I decided to flip through cookbooks and see if I could come up with a recipe using lemons. William Sonoma's lemon curd squares looked easy to bake. The based of the bars was pie dough. Thinking about making the lemon bars even tastier, I decided to test the recipe with my lemon cookie dough.

The meyer lemon bars turned out better than I expected. Not too sweet and definitely lemony flavor. The crunch of the lemon cookie dough was a good balance to the soft, velvety curd. I was super happy with the lemon bars that I asked Brek to deliver some to Ms. Leta and Mr. Joe (her son and Brek's swim teacher). Even after we shared the lemon bars with our great neighbors, we still had plenty. And guess what, my kids and I ate them all up for afternoon snack, nighttime snack... even for breakfast. Hey, why not!!!

Feel free to substitute meyer lemons with regular lemons. Better yes, use lime juice with pulp to make lime bars.

Meyer Lemon Bars
adapted from William Sonoma's lemon curd squares
makes 9 - 16 bars

1 lemony cookie dough recipe
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (5.2 oz.) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz.) meyer lemon juice with pulp
3 Tablespoons (1.5 oz.) coconut cream
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degree. Line the 8-inch square pan with parchment paper then spray the inside with a cooking oil. Set aside.
2. Make the lemony cookie dough as directed.
3. Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan, making sure the dough goes up to all the sides.
4. Prick the cookie dough with a fork. NOTE: This method is to prevent the dough from puffing up during baking.
5. Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are slightly golden brown, about 10 minutes.
6. When done, take it out of the oven to let cool, about 15 minutes.
7. Lower the oven temperature to 325F degree.
8. Make the filling by whisking together all of the ingredients.
9. Pour the filling batter on to the cooled cookie.
10. Bake in a preheated oven until the filling is set, about 25 minutes.
11. Turn off the heat and open the oven door, leaving the meyer lemon bars sitting in the oven for another 15 minutes.
12. Take the pan out of the oven and set it on a wiring rack to cool completely.
13. Cut into 9 or 16 bars. Enjoy!!!

STORING: These meyer lemon bars taste best the day they are baked because the cookie crust is crunchy. But they can be kept in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Allergy Info: These meyer lemon bars are free from or can be make without dairy, corn, legumes (soy), nuts (not coconut), and fish.