9.18.2015

Bonjour, Y'all! - Lemon Squares

Happy Friday readers!

I hope you have had a good...errr...month?!?

I can't believe it has been an entire month since I have posted.

I guess that's what happens when you quit your job and start a new one all within a little over a month's time. Things have been crazy, but SO good! I am love, love, loving this new adventure. More details coming soon...

Today I am excited to be sharing a recipe from a cookbook I received for review earlier this summer.

When I first heard the name of said cookbook (Bonjour, Y'all!), I immediately knew it was likely to have lots of recipes that would appeal to me. And boy was I right! The cover alone has me salivating!


When I first received the book, I enjoyed flipping through each and every page. There is a photo to accompany every recipe, which is huge for me when looking through cookbooks. The book contains 8 sections: Libations, Breads, Starters, The Main, Brunch, Cookies, Encore, and Pantry with recipes that are sure to strike your fancy.  Many recipes stood out and I had a hard time deciding which one to try first for the blog.  My "To Try" list currently contains the following recipes: South Carolina Peach & Blueberry Sangria, Gruyere Puffs, Peach Pork Tenderloin, Bacon & Tomato Jam, and Triple Chocolate Mousse.

I ultimately decided to try the Lemon Squares before the others, though. I thought they would make the perfect treat to finish out summer before the first official start of fall next week. The recipe was also very straightforward and comprised of ingredients we typically have on hand.

Aren't they elegant?

The recipe did indeed turn out to be an easy one. The hardest part for me was taking the time to juice 8 lemons. The recipe did not call for this, however, I hadn't baked all summer and was in the mood to go the extra mile. In the future, I will probably just buy a bottle of lemon juice. The end result of the hard work, turned out to be delicious, though. The squares are ooey gooey perfection and really pack a punch you can't get from a boxed mix. 


*Makes 24 squares

Ingredients:

For the crust:
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 c powdered sugar
  • 4 c all-purpose flour
For the filling:
  • 6 tbs all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 and 1/3 c sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 and 1/2 c lemon juice (if you're foolish enough to use fresh squeezed lemons, this is the juice of about 8 large lemons)
  • 8 eggs
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • powdered sugar
Directions

For the crust:
  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Prepare a 13x18 inch baking pan by buttering the bottom.
  3. Mix butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream until combined. Add flour and mix until combined.
  4. Pat mixture into the bottom of prepared pan evenly.
  5. Bake about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
For the filling:
  1. Reduce oven temperature to 300F.
  2. Sift flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together in a bowl.
  3. Gradually add lemon juice. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined (I found it easier to crack all the eggs into one large measuring cup, whisk them, and then pour into the mixture little by little). Add lemon zest.
  4. Pour mixture over cooled crust. Bake for 25 minutes, until set. (It actually took about 40 min of baking time for me. The edges were slightly golden and the filling only jiggled slightly in the center.)
  5. Let cool, cut into squares, and dust with powdered sugar.
  6. Enjoy!

I couldn't resist eating a square for breakfast this morning, and am taking most of them with me to work today. My favorite way to serve lemon squares, if you are not individually plating, is by putting them in cupcake liners, as you can see in this post. It makes it easy for someone to grab and go without getting sticky hands.

What are your favorite go-to summer desserts?

Are you a fan of lemon?

Have a great weekend!