Mom’s lemon squares
These tangy squares are such a bomb of flavor. Gooey texture meets crunchy bottom. It’s perfection. Yellow bright citrus perfection.
Lemon Square notes
- Best baked in a glass dish- this allows you to keep a close eye on the crust.
- There’s a fine line between underdone and scrambled eggs, so pay close attention! Don’t use a temperature over 350°F and if you think the oven is too hot, prop the door open for a minute.
- DON’T attempt to cut or remove it from it’s pan until it has completely cooled. ALTHOUGH, while it’s still warm I like to take a butter knife and gently press the borders away from the dish. This results in a cleaner look with less cracking and sticking.
- Any citrus can be used (mandarin, grapefruit, lime) however lemon packs the most punch. Regardless of the type of citrus you choose, they will all be yellow from the egg yolks.
Mom’s Lemon Squares:
for the crust, para la masa:
- 2 cups sifted flour, 2 tazas deharina tamizada
- 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 taza de azucar impalpable tamizada
- 1 cup butter, 1 taza de manteca
for the filling, para rellenar:
- 1/3 cup lemon juice + zest from ALL lemons, 1/3 taza de jugo de limon y toda la piel
- 4 eggs, 4 huevos
- 2 cups sugar, 2 tazas de azucar
- 1/4 cup sifted flour, 1/4 taza de harina tamizada
- 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cucharadita de levadura en polvo
- powdered sugar to sift on top after it’s baked, azucar impalpable tamizada para el final
Start with the crust since it takes the longest to cook than the filling. Preheat the oven to 350°F, 175°C, and in a big bowl mix the sifted flour & powdered sugar. Add the butter and begin breaking it into pieces with your hands. Once there are no visible chunks of butter and it looks sandy press the mix into a greased baking dish. This recipe is ideal for a 9 x 13 pan. Throw the pan in the oven and bake for 20ish minutes ’til it’s chalky white.
AS SOON AS it’s pressed in the pan throw it in the oven. If you do this in advance and the oven isn’t ready the butter will melt and you will end up with a not so great crust!
While the crust is baking, blanchir (fancy French term for mixing eggs & sugar until it’s pale yellow/almost white) the eggs and sugar with a metal whisk.
Add the lemon juice & zest and mix well. Incorporate the flour & baking powder and whisk away. NO LUMPS, por favor!
Pour the filling over the crust and return it to the oven for another 20-25 minutes. I set the timer for 17 and then check on it every three minutes after. You want to remove it when there is practically no jiggle left. A little jiggle is okay- it will continue to cook for a few minutes once it’s taken out of the oven.
Place the dish in a safe spot and allow to cool. Grab a butter knife and gently press the sides away from the baking dish.
Sift powdered sugar on top and when ready to serve dip a knife in hot water in between each cut. Yes, it’s kind of a pain in the ass, but the end result is worth it.
Enjoy, and thanks for sharing Mom!
They’re so good even the people who don’t eat sweets end up begging her for the recipe…
