My paternal grandmother was a wonderful cook and though she passed away several years before I discovered my love of cooking, I often think of her when I am in the kitchen. When my grandfather passed away I inherited a shoebox full of grandma's recipes lovingly scrawled on index cards. Each one is a little piece of history containing her handwritten notes, amusing doodles, and the occasional ingredient stain. Whenever I am feeling out of sorts, I mixed up a batch of these lemon squares and read through all the treasures concealed in an unassuming shoebox stored high on my closet shelf.
Grandma R’s Lemon Squares
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (I used granulated sugar)
Pinch salt
1 ½ cups flour, divided
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream together butter, ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, and salt until smooth. Add 1 cup flour and combine just until crumbs form. Press mixture evenly into 9 x 9 x 2 inch square pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until very lightly browned. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Beat the eggs and 1 ½ cups granulated sugar until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining ½ cup flour; whisk to combine. Pour over hot crust and bake about 25 minutes or until no imprint remains when touched lightly.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before cutting with a thin, sharp knife into squares.
