Sugar Glazed Lemon Bars

You can't but love these lemon bars, sweetly tart with a melt in your mouth shortbread crust and and a sugary lemon glaze on top. They're gooey sweet, with just enough tang from the lemon juice and zest to balance the sweetness.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

250g butter, softened

125ml icing sugar

zest of half a lemon

500ml flour

For the filling:

4  eggs

500ml sugar

65ml flour

5ml baking powder

75ml fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

For the Glaze:

250ml icing sugar

30-40ml fresh lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

To Make the Crust:

Combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and beat for a minute or so until combined.

Add the flours and the beat until until the mixture is crumbly. 

Press the crust into the bottom of a parchment lined 9x13 inch pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, until light golden brown.

To Make the Filling:

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl lightly beat the eggs with a whisk. 

Add the remaining ingredients and beat with a whisk until combined. 

Remove the partially baked crust from the oven and pour the filling over it. 

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and starting to crack around the edges. 

Let cool completely for at least 1 hour.

To make the Glaze:

In a small bowl, stir or whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add more lemon juice, by just a few drops at a time, until the glaze is a pourable consistency. 

Spread the glaze over the cooled bars and then let it set for at least half an hour before slicing. 

Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator. 

Bars can be served cold or returned to room temperature first. 

Enjoy!