Updated April 2, 2020
Lemon squares were another part of my Mom’s dessert arsenal. Yet another thing on a tray of tarts and squares that’d be pulled out after dinner. Sometimes the meal wouldn’t even be finished. She’d push things out of the way to make room for the tray. Stuffed from dinner there wouldn’t even be a break. “You have to eat” she’d say. There was never any objections.
They have a shortbread crust, a filling that’s sweet enough to satisfy any sugar craving and enough lemon to make you pucker. If She didn’t feel like making the entire recipe, She’d use pastry tart shells and fill them with the lemon curd. Kinda like tarts on-demand. What a concept.
The shortbread crust
We might as well start at the bottom and work our way up, so let’s start with the crust.
Now is probably a good time to preheat your oven to 325℉. Next, in a medium bowl cream the cup of margarine with ½ cup of powdered sugar with a hand mixer. That just means you’re going to blend until the colour is uniform and the mixture is fluffy. Add the flour and blend until it’s combined. Take that mixture and press it in an even thickness into the bottom of an ungreased 9″ x 13″ pan. Bake it for 20 minutes and the remove it from the oven. You’ll need the oven again so leave it on.
The filling
We all like doing dishes so get another bowl and beat 4 eggs. Add the ½ cup of lemon juice, 2 cups of sugar (yikes), ¼ cup of flour and ½ tsp of baking powder. Mix until you’ve got a smooth texture and everything is well combined.
Putting the lemon squares together.
This is the hard part. You need to pour the mixture over the shortbread crust you just baked and put it back in the oven for 25 minutes. At that point, remove it from the oven and dust the top with powdered sugar. The hard part you ask? Oh yah, you have to let it cool for two hours before you can slice it up to eat.
Recipe – Lemon Squares
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup margarine
Filling
- 4 eggs beaten
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cream the margarine and sugar, add flour and mix well. Press the mixture evenly in an un-greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 325℉.
- Meanwhile, mix beaten eggs with lemon juice, sugar, ¼ cup flour and baking powder.
- Pour the lemon filling over the previously baked shortbread crust and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and dust with powdered sugar. Let stand for 2 hours and divide equally into squares.
Notes
You might also like…
