Salty Lemon Squares

I love this recipe from Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski. If you have a couple of lemons on hand, it can be made with basic ingredients you should already have in your pantry. It’s pretty easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Time: 60 minutes

Makes: 16 2-inch squares

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Filling:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Finely grated lemon zest of 1 large or 2 medium lemons (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons)
  • 1/4 fresh lemon juice (from 1 large or 2 medium lemons)
  • Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
  • Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 350 F, with a rack in the middle, Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two sheets of foil, shiny side up, crisscrossing them to leave an overhang on all sides. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
  2. For the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cooled melted butter and stir to combine. Turn the mixture out onto the baking pan and press evenly over the bottom. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 18 to 22 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat the eggs in a medium bowl until combined. Add the granulated sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat on medium-high until the mixture is frothy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Pour the filling into the hot crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is just set, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 1/2 hours. For the best flavour and easiest cutting, chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, or up to 1 day.
  5. To serve, cut the bars into 2-inch squares, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Notes:

  • After grating the lemons, warm them in the microwave for 5 to 10 intervals until just a bit warm, 15 to 30 seconds, which will help release the most juice.
  • The flavours of these bars deepen overnight, so try and make them a day ahead.
  • The bars can be covered and refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month. Thaw, unwrapped for 1 hour at room temperature before serving.
  • Recipe from Antoni in the Kitchen.