Sunny Lemon Bars

For a really long time, I was craving lemon bars, and since I knew that for this project my subject was baking, I decided to make lemon bars. The best part of this recipe is that it does not have a lot of ingredients and overall its a pretty straightforward recipe, so lets get started. The ingredients you need will be both for the crust and the filling, they include:
Crust:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice 

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next in the book, they say, "grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan, and line with parchment, allowing the ends of the paper to hang over two opposite edges of the pan" (Day). But instead of doing this, I just lined my pan with parchment paper, and I think it did just fine without having to grease it. 

To make the crust, in a bowl, stir butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt until blended and add all the flour in at once, until just incorporated. Press the mixture evenly at the bottom of the pan. Personally this was a little bit difficult and took some time, but if you stuck through it, it would be worth it. Next bake it for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden, (Day). 

To make the filling: I recommend doing this while the crust is baking. In the bowl, mix the flour and sugar together until thoroughly combined. Add eggs and lemon juice until well combined. I would highly recommend fresh lemon juice since it made the bars taste fresh, and my kitchen smell lemon-y. 

When the crust is done, carefully remove it and pour in the lemon filling. Turn down the temperature to 300 degrees, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You will know it is done when the filling looks puffy on top and the center no longer jiggles, (Day). Let cool and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Lastly, cut into bars, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

My opinion on these is that they were really delicious, and my family and I really enjoyed them. They were really hard when they came out of the fridge, so I would say let them sit at room temp. before you cut them. If you try these, tell me how they are and I hope you enjoy. 

What would happen if you did not use pure vanilla extract? What if you served these warm? 

Day, Cheryl, and Griffith Day. The Back in the Day Cookbook. New York: Artisan, 

     2012. Print.