Day 13 Of Rosie's Christmas Baking. Part 3.

And finally, Day 13 of Rosie's Christmas Baking -

Part 3.
The Ultimate Lemon-Butter Bar.

(Two ultimate bars.
Can you stand it?)

Ingredients for the shortbread crust:
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups flour

I mixed the sugars together.

Then added the butter
and creamed until
mixture was light and fluffy.

Finally, I mixed in flour until incorporated.

Poured the crust mixture into a prepared pan.
As with the last recipe for the
"ultimate" lemon bar,
I lined the 8 inch square pan
with foil on bottom and two sides
for easy removal.

I pricked the dough with a fork before
baking for about 50 minutes
in a 325 degree oven.

And here's the baked crust.

While the crust was baking,
I started on the lemon curd topping.

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
lemon juice, freshly squeezed from 2 1/2 large lemons
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
dash salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Beat egg yolks and sugar in
heavy sauce pan
until well blended.

Stir in lemon juice.

Add in a pinch of salt.

Add in the butter.

Heat over medium-low heat,
stirring constantly,
about 6 minutes,
until thickened
and resembling hollandaise sauce.

A candy thermometer should
read about 196 degrees.

Do not allow the mixture to boil,
or it will curdle.

Stir in the zest.

When shortbread crust is cooked,
remove from oven,
reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees,
and pour lemon curd topping
over crust,
baking for 10 more minutes.

Cool in pan on rack,
then chill at least 30 minutes to set
before cutting.

I refrigerated over night,
then cut the lemon bars
this morning
and dusted with powdered sugar.

I think these might be my favorites
of all the lemon bars.

Shortbread crust,
lemon curd,
powdered sugar.
A winning and quite delicious combination.