Susan's Perfect Lemon Bars

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar (plus extra to sprinkle over finished bars)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons sweet unsalted butter, at cool room temperature, cut into 1 inch pieces
• extra butter, for greasing pan
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemons, zest of (from 2 large lemons)
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained (from 3-4 large lemons)
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°f.
• 2 lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and line it with a sheet of parchment paper.
• 3 dot parchment paper with butter, then lay a second sheet of parchment crosswise over the first one, allowing the ends to extend over the top edge of the pan by about 1 inch.
• 4 to mix crust in food processor: in a food processor, fitted with steel blade, pulse together the flour, confectioner's sugar, cornstarch and salt to mix well.
• 5 add 12 tablespoons butter and process to blend (about 8 to 10 seconds), then pulse until mixture is a pale yellow color and resembles a coarse meal, (about three-1-second bursts).
• 6 to mix crust by hand: mix flour, confectioner's sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl.
• 7 freeze butter and grate it on the large holes of a box grater into the flour mixture.
• 8 toss butter pieces to coat.
• 9 rub coated butter pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.
• 10 sprinkle crust mixture into parchment lined pan.
• 11 using both hands, firmly press mixture into an even, 1/4" layer over the entire pan bottom and about 1/2" up the sides.
• 12 refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• 13 remove chilled crust and bake at 350°f for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• 14 filling: prepare filling while crust is baking.
• 15 in a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and flour.
• 16 stir in lemon zest, juice, milk and salt; stirring to blend well.
• 17 remove crust from oven, and reduce oven temperature to 325°f.
• 18 stir filling mixture to reblend and pour over warm crust.
• 19 return bars to oven and bake about 20 minutes, or until filling feels firm when lightly touched.
• 20 remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool until almost room temperature (at least 30 minutes).
• 21 grasp the edges of the lengthwise parchment paper (long sides of the pan) and lift the lemon bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board or counter.
• 22 carefully peel the paper down from the sides and using a pizza cutter or knife, slice them into serving size bars, wiping pizza cutter or knife clean between cuts as necessary.
• 23 sieve confectioner's sugar over bars, if desired.
• 24 leftover bars can be sealed in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.