Gingered Lemon Bars
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"I can't wait for you to get here Elise. We can cook! We can make pies and cakes and cookies and more yummy things," exclaimed my young friend Alden as we were talking on the phone last week. Between Easter, a Patriots Day parade and museum trips, we finally got a chance to do some baking. Reilly (8) and her sister Alden (6) helped me make scrumptious lemon bars that have candied ginger in the crust from a recipe in a 1987 issue of Gourmet magazine. I skipped the sprinkled powdered sugar on top. Don't need that extra sugar. The lemon bars are great all on their own.
Gingered Lemon Bars Recipe
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Ingredients
Reilly grating the lemon
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon double acting baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
Alden and Reilly1 Pre-bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter, add 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest, the crystallized ginger, the ground ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour in batches, a 1/4 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Beat the mixture until it is well combined.
2 Spread the batter evenly in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake in the middle of the oven at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned lightly around the edges.
3 While the crust is baking, in a bowl whisk together the eggs, the granulated sugar, the lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of lemon rind, 3 Tbsp of flour, and the baking powder. Whisk until well blended.
4 Pour the lemon mixture over the pre-baked crust. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden. If you want, sift the remaining 3 Tbsp of powdered sugar over the top. Let the mixture cool in the pan on a rack. Cut it into 36 bars.
Makes 36 cookies.
Reilly showing off the lemon bars.
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"We can cook!" Gotta love it, from an eight-year old! What fun ...