Christmas Baking. Day 11. Cookie #26. Lemon Bars.

These Lemon Bars are another favorite amongst my Christmas Gift Basket recipients.

Crust ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 stick butter, softened 1/4 cup confectioners sugar Mix together flour and sugar. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until it looks like coarse meal. Press evenly into a lightly greased 8 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Lemon mixture: 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 3 TB flour 3 TB lemon juice 1/2 tsp baking powder grated zest of 1 lemon While the crumb crust is baking, whip the eggs. Slowly add in sugar. Mix in flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and zest. Pour lemon mixture over baked crust and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

I mixed the flour and the powdered sugar first, then added in the pieces of butter, one at a time, using a pastry blender.

Work the butter in until the mixture is like a coarse meal.

Spread the crumb mixture evenly in a buttered 8 inch square pan.

Then cover with plastic wrap and press. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While the crust is baking, make the lemon mixture.

Add in eggs ...

... beating well after each addition.

Slowly, beat in sugar.

Flour in.

Lemon juice in.

Baking powder.

And the zest.

Here's the crust after baking. You want the edges just slightly browned.

Pour in the lemon mixture. And bake for an additional 25 minutes. Always be sure to thump to get out the air bubbles. Else, ...

... You'll get this. With the two brown bumps. Upside down.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over top.

Pucker up!