Lemon Bars

With another December comes another Christmas cookie recipe. Although this recipe is technically for a bar rather than a cookie, Mom used to make these for her annual cookie plates that she gives out at Christmastime. These lemon bars make a great addition to a plate full of cookies, or can be anytime on their own. MDS's Grandma also used to make lemon bars to be included on her cookie plates. Clearly lemon bars are a Christmas classic.

Lemon bars are very easy to make. Be certain to thoroughly grease the pan. When Mom made these, if the bars did not come out cleanly, those broken bars were for us kids to eat. So, of course we loved the fact that they were difficult to remove.  But next time I make lemon bars, I will likely use parchment paper to line the pan to make it easier to remove the bars. When I made this recipe, I did not have any lemon flavoring, so I just use a little extra lemon juice. They were still so tasty.

Lemon Bars

• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. lemon flavoring

Spray and 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray. Mix together 1 cup flour with the butter and powdered sugar. Pat the mixture into the pan, using a spatula. Be sure to evenly spread the mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, baking powder and lemon flavoring. Pour onto the baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to cool, then cut into bars. Enjoy!