I’m feeling a winter weather blues. If the dream fairies are reading this, I’ve got a couple of requests for tonight’s dreams: I want to be somewhere with the sound of the waves swelling and crashing against the beachfront. I want to wear sunglasses and sun tan lotion. And collect seashells. I want to inhale the smell of freshly cut grass in the wee hours of the morning, minutes after fresh dew has spread across the lawn. I want to hold an ice-cold glass of lemonade with little beads of condensation gathering in pools on the outside of my glass. I want sunshine in a bite! The dream fairies may fulfill my request, but I think I’ll make myself some sunshine, too! Let’s start with the ingredients for the crust. This recipe makes the perfect shortbread crust that will compliment the tartness of the lemon bars beautifully! We’re using lemon juice in the crust too! Before you start making the lemon layer for the lemon bars, toss the lemon zest into the sugar and using your finger tips or the back of a wooden spoon, mash the zest into the sugar. This disperses the lemon oils into the sugar and helps the flavor spread more evenly throughout the bars. This is a little trick that makes a huge impact! Here’s what you’ll need for the lemon layer. I used about 5 lemons to get the 2/3 cup lemon juice. Depending on the size of the lemon, you may need anywhere between 4-6. Beat the eggs lightly with the sugar/lemon zest mixture before adding the lemon juice in. You will notice some resistance when stirring, it’s totally okay. Oh and also, please excuse my bear claw that’s taking over half of this picture! Dump in the flour and continue to mix until that resistance is gone. That just means all that sugary goodness has melted into the lemon and egg mixture and it’s ready to pour on top of the baked crust!
