Grammy's Recipe Book Desserts

Lemon Bars

From Phyllis Caramanica350°F ovenone 9×13 pan

Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Rest
1 hrcool
Total
2 hr 5 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Lemon Bars
Page 3 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

Lemon Bars
from Phyllis Caramanica
350° oven

1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups flour

Bake 20 minutes 9x13 pan

While baking mix following:

4 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Pour over hot crust
Bake 25 minutes
Cool & sprinkle with
confectioners sugar

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup butter
  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 cups flour

Lemon layer

  • 4 eggs
  • 1¾ cups sugar
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

To finish

  • Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 350°.
  2. Mix the butter, confectioners’ sugar and flour for the crust, put it in a 9×13 pan and bake 20 minutes.
  3. While the crust bakes, mix the eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice and baking powder.
  4. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust and bake 25 minutes.
  5. Cool, and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

Shortbread crust

  • 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (60 g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

Lemon layer

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

To finish

  • Confectioners’ sugar

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides to lift the bars out.
  2. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add the flour and salt and mix until a soft, crumbly dough forms. Press it evenly into the pan.
  3. Bake 18–20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden.
  4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the flour and baking powder, then the lemon juice and zest.
  5. Pour the filling over the hot crust and bake 22–25 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles.
  6. Cool completely, then chill at least 1 hour for clean cuts. Lift out, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and cut into 24 bars.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Meyer lemon

    Swap in Meyer lemon juice and zest for a softer, more floral bar. Cut the sugar in the filling to 1½ cups.

  • Lime or grapefruit

    Use the same amount of juice. Grapefruit is lovely with a pinch of flaky salt on top.

  • Brown-butter crust

    Brown the butter, chill it until it is soft and solid again, then make the crust as usual. It tastes nutty, like shortbread.

  • Raspberry swirl

    Drop spoonfuls of seedless raspberry jam onto the filling before the second bake and drag a knife through them.

  • Half batch

    Halve everything and use an 8×8 pan. Bake the crust 15 minutes and the filling about 20.