Lemon Bars With Pecan Crust
Lemon bars, with their buttery shortbread crust and their tart-as-you-like curd, have become one of the great American desserts ubiquitous to the 20th century cookery canon. These have a little twist with a rich pecan short crust, making them just a bit more well-rounded, the toasty nuttiness serving as a counterbalance to the tart lemon zing. While there are some official notations of its origins in print — most notably in the Chicago Tribune in 1962 — it remains one of those desserts that has seemingly lived in the hearts of modern Americans for as long as we can remember. As a friendly harbinger of spring and a favorite for every summertime cookout or picnic or backyard hang, these bright bites are a great option to make ahead; chilling them overnight makes them easy to cut and sugar right before you plan to serve or carry them to your festivities. For all these reasons and more, lemon bars will likely keep their rightful place as a great American standard for many years to come.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 9 persons
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray or oil, for the pan
- 1 ¼cups/284 grams unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
- ¼cup/50 grams packed light brown sugar
- ¼cup/50 grams granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour
- ⅓cup/40 grams pecans, toasted and finely ground
- 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt, such as Morton (or 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt flakes such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2cups/400 grams granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
- ½cup/64 grams all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons cornstarch or rice flour
- 1cup fresh lemon juice (from 5 lemons)
- 6large eggs, at room temperature
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the crust: Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or rub lightly with oil and line with a piece of parchment that hangs at least 2 inches over each of the two long sides to create a sling.Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl using a handheld mixer or wooden spoon, cream the butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract together until combined and fluffy. Add the flour, pecans and salt and mix until combined. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.Step 3
Once the crust has chilled, bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.Step 4
Meanwhile, prepare the lemon filling: In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest and rub together until fragrant and evenly distributed. Add the flour and cornstarch and combine well. Add the lemon juice and whisk together well.Step 5
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar mixture and whisk together until very well incorporated.Step 6
Place the pan with the baked crust onto a sheet pan to help transport it back into the oven. Pour the egg mixture over the crust (it’s OK if it’s still hot) and return the pan, still on the sheet pan, to the oven. Bake until evenly set (solid to the touch but soft and slightly sticky), about 25 minutes.Step 7
Transfer the 9-by-13-inch pan to a wire rack. Let cool and set for about 2 hours before lifting the entire slab out of the pan using the parchment sling. Place on a large cutting board and cut to preferred sizes (see Tip). To serve, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar after cutting but before separating.