Last year, and totally on a whim, I planted four citrus trees in our backyard.
We already had one lemon tree there – planted by the previous homeowner and nursed back to health by yours truly – so I thought, “why not put ALL the citrus trees in the backyard with it!?? It might be lonely and need a friend…or four…” Totally reasonably thinking, right?
So, I dug four big holes over by our back fence and while my hubby stared at me wide-eyed and slightly excited by the prospect of the impending citrus haul, I buried those little trees, fertilized, watered, and spoke nicely to them anytime I was near.
Fast forward to today and we have…one meyer lemon tree that is FULL of ripe meyer lemons, yay!!….one lime tree that is FULL of unripe limes, huh??….one naval orange tree that is FULL of ONE orange, what the heck??!?….and one mandarin tree that is again FULL of ONE mandarin, harrumph.
Of course, as soon as my kids saw me outside surveying the citrus scene they were right next to me asking me what they could eat!! So we picked the orange and the mandarin, peeled them (holy moly fresh oranges smell ah-mazing!) and they devoured them in three seconds flat. I didn’t even get a bite!
Guess I will have to wait until next year to try a homegrown orange or mandarin…
But after that, we picked some of those meyer lemons and whipped up a batch of these deliciously sweet and tart meyer lemon bars! Made with just a few simple ingredients and poured into a prebaked tart shell, these bars are so simple and easy to make that I can see these meyer lemon bars on dessert rotation for as long as we have meyer lemons on our tree!!
These meyer lemon bars are a crowd pleaser – whip up a batch to say hello to a neighbor, to put a smile on a friends face, to pack in your kids lunch, or to stuff directly into your own face (What?! Doesn’t everyone do this??!) – there are so many ways to enjoy these delicious treats!
XO,
Jenn
PS Here are some other lemon recipes you might enjoy:
blueberry lemon drop – make every night feel like the weekend with this delicious cocktail!
lemon herb tahini sauce – the perfect dip/dressing/sauce for all of your healthy eating needs!
strawberry lemonade popsicles – so good they don’t need an explanation!!
avgolemono: green lemon and egg soup – so perfect for soup season!
meyer lemon bars
specialty equipment: you will need a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan like this
makes 20 squares of 40 triangles (depending on how you cut them)
recipe by Ina Garten
For the crust:Â
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
my notes: If meyer lemons are not available to you, substitute regular lemons. You can also use any kind of citrus like oranges, grapefruit, or tangerines. Don’t be afraid to add all of the filling to the crust before baking. My filling overflowed the crust but ended up baking on the bottom which created the most delicious sugary crust, and totally by accident! These bars freeze great! Just wrap them in parchment paper and a couple of layer of plastic wrap. They can last up to 6 months in the freezer.
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