Lemon Bars

 

Lemon Bars

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.7 from 1089 reviews

• Author: Sally
 
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
 
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
 
• Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes
 
• Yield: 24 bars

You only need 7 ingredients to make these lemon bars. The lemon curd filling is extra thick and creamy and sits on an irresistible butter shortbread crust. Always bake lemon bars at a lower temperature to avoid over-baking. See recipe notes for important tips. They’re simply the best lemon bars and are perfect for picnics, bake sales, spring brunches, baby showers, and bridal showers.

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

• 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

Lemon Filling

• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (46g) all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup (240ml) lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch glass baking pan (do not use metal) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
2. Make the crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be thick. Press firmly into prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust (not all the way through the crust). A new step I swear by, this helps the filling stick and holds the crust in place. Set aside until step 4.
3. Make the filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, then the lemon juice until completely combined.
4. Pour filling over warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (Give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test.) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature. I usually cool them for about 2 hours at room temperature, then stick in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until pretty chilled. I recommend serving chilled.
5. Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares before serving. For neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut. Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
6. Freezing Instructions: Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Cut the cooled bars (without confectioners’ sugar topping) into squares, then place onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. Individually wrap each bar in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Notes

1. Halve the Recipe: Halve each of the ingredients to yield around 12 squares in a 9-inch square baking pan. Same oven temperature. Bake the crust for 16-18 minutes and the bars for 20 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.
2. Sifting: More often than not, the flour doesn’t fully incorporate into the lemon filling unless it’s sifted with the sugar. As directed in the recipe, sift the two together before adding the eggs and lemon juice. I don’t always do this (and didn’t even do it in the video above!) but it’s preferred to avoid any flour lumps. If you have a sifter, it’s worth using. If you forget, it’s not a huge deal. Here is my favorite sifter. You use it again to dust the lemon bars with confectioners’ sugar.
3. Lemon Juice: For exceptional taste, I highly recommend fresh lemon juice. Here is a wonderful inexpensive juicer if you don’t have one. Or use another fresh-squeezed citrus like grapefruit, blood orange, lime, or regular orange. You can slightly reduce the sugar if using a sweeter citrus. I recommend no less than 1 and 2/3 cup granulated sugar in the filling as it’s needed for structure.
4. Room Temperature: Bringing the eggs and lemon juice to room temperature helps them mix easier into the flour and sugar. However, I never notice a taste or texture difference when using cold. Room temperature or cold, use whichever!

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-bars-recipe/#tasty-recipes-67259

Malva Pudding

 

South African Malva Pudding Recipe

Prep Time15minutes mins

Cook Time40minutes mins

This Malva Pudding recipe is a sweet and moist cake recipe straight from South Africa made with incredible apricot jam and heavy cream.

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

Cake

• ¾ cup (6floz/170ml) whole milk
• ½ cup (3oz/85g) dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons apricot jam, strained
• 2 tablespoons (1oz/30g) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1½ cups (7½oz/213g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of salt

Sauce

• ½ cup (4floz/115ml) heavy cream
• ½ cup (4floz/115ml) whole milk
• ½ cup (4oz/115g) butter
• ½ cup (4oz/115g) sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and butter an 8-inch (20cm) square baking dish.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the milk, brown sugar, eggs, apricot jam, melted butter, and vinegar until fully combined.
• In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and then combine with the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
• Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Just before the pudding is done, make the sauce: in a saucepan over medium heat combine the cream, milk, butter, sugar, and salt and heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
• Once the pudding is done, poke holes all over the hot pudding with a skewer and then pour the warm sauce over the pudding. Allow resting for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Store leftover pudding in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving, either in a 300°F (150°C) oven or in the microwave.

https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/south-african-malva-pudding-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-42223

Chocolate Chip Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough Bites

 

Chocolate Chip Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough Bites

Cottage cheese protein cookie dough is the high-protein sweet snack you’ve been looking for! These cottage cheese cookie dough bites are safe to eat raw and taste just like the cookie dough pieces in ice cream.

• Author: Kaitlynn Fenley
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 30 pieces
• Category: snacks
• Method: mixing

ingredients

• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour (gluten-free, see notes)*
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter (unsalted, unsweetened)
• A pinch of salt to taste
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (I use Naked Whey)*
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

instructions

1. GF flour gives the best texture, but you can also use regular all-purpose flour. No matter what flour you use, if it comes from a grain, lightly cooking it first makes it safe to eat raw. (blanched almond flour and oat flour do not need to be cooked).
2. To cook flour: preheat your oven to 300° F. Spread your flour on a sheet pan and place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Take it out and let it cool completely.
3. In a blender or food processor blend together the cottage cheese, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth.
4. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the flour, protein powder, and peanut butter. (If using gluten-containing flour, don’t over-mix)
5. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop into one tablespoon balls and place in the freezer. Once frozen, store in an airtight container in the freezer.
7. Defrost for 10 minutes before eating & enjoy!

notes

• For the best texture, use gluten-free flour such as almond flour, oat flour, or GF all-purpose. Regular gluten-containing flour will work fine (I’ve used it multiple times to make this recipe). However, if you mix it too much, the gluten will develop, and that will come through in the texture.
• No matter what flour you use, if it comes from a grain, lightly cooking it first makes it safe to eat raw. (blanched almond flour and oat flour do not need to be cooked).
• Any protein powder will do, but vanilla whey protein that includes coconut sugar makes for the best flavor.
• 
  

https://cultured.guru/blog/chocolate-chip-cottage-cheese-cookie-dough-bites

Snickers Salad

 

Snickers Salad Recipe

Snicker apple salad is a sweet treat, filled with texture and flavor! Bright pops of apple perfectly complement chewy chunks of Snickers.

Prep Time5minutes mins

Total Time5minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 small box vanilla instant pudding
• ½ cup milk
• 8 ounce cool whip
• 4 large Granny Smith apples
• 4-5 Snickers bars
• caramel sauce

Instructions

• Mix milk and pudding then fold in the cool whip.
• Cut up apples and Snickers and mix in. Drizzle caramel sauce on top. Serve cold or layer and serve cold.

Notes

Make ahead of time. Make this Snicker salad recipe up to a day in advance. The coating of the Whipped Cream will help keep the apples from browning, but to be extra cautious, pretreat the apples (with previous suggestions), before mixing up the recipe.

STORE. Keep leftover Snicker apple salad covered, in the fridge, for 2-3 days. Over time, the extra moisture from the apples will begin causing the whipped cream to separate. It is still safe to eat. Give it a good stir or add a bit extra whipped cream to help smooth it out.
https://lilluna.com/apple-snickers-salad/#wprm-recipe-container-101370

French Apple Tart

FRENCH APPLE TART WITH FRANGIPANE

• Author: Camille
 
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
 
• Chill Time: 90 minutes
 
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
 
• Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
 
• Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
 
• Category: Tarts

INGREDIENTS

For the Pate Sucree (Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)

• 113 g unsalted butter, room temp (65 F)
• 55 g powdered sugar
• 30 g egg
• 1/4 tsp Morton’s kosher salt
• 170 g all-purpose flour

Frangipane (Almond Cream) Filling

• 70 g almond flour
• 70 g egg
• 70 g unsalted butter, room temp
• 70 g granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond emulsion or extract

For the Apple Filling

• 7 Honey Crisp Apples, peeled and cored (or similar apples, like Granny Smith)
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 28 g unsalted butter, melted (2 Tbs)
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon

Fruit Glaze

• 85 g apricot jam
• 2–3 Tbs water
• Vanilla Ice Cream (for serving)
• Homemade Carmel (for serving)

INSTRUCTIONS

To Make the Pate Sucree Crust

1. Cream the butter and sugar on low in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
2. Add the egg and mix. It will look curdled, but that is okay.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add to the mixer in 2 additions. Mix just until combined. Remove the dough from the mixer and shape into a flat round disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. If the dough chills for more than an hour, let the dough sit out for 20-30 minutes so that it is easier to work with. The dough gets really firm when it chills for a long time.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12 inche circle.
6. Fold the dough gently in half and then place in the 9.5 -inch tart pan. Press the dough into the pan along the bottom and against the sides.
7. Remove the excess dough along the edges with the palm of your hand or a knife. Prick the bottom with a fork in several places, and then freeze for an hour.
8. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line frozen tart with parchment and pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes(not fully cooked).
9. Remove parchment and pie weights, then cool completely before filling.

To Make the Frangipane (Almond Cream Filling)

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
2. Add the almond flour and mix. Finish by mixing in the egg and almond emulsion. The frangipane should have a very spreadable consistency. Set aside and make the apple filling.

For the Apple Filling

1. Peel, core, and slice apples thinly with a mandolin or by hand to 1/16 inch thick. 
2. Mix the apples with the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon and place in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat and let the juices naturally reduce for 5-10 minutes. Apple should be bendable and softer, but not mushy or fully cooked.
3. Remove apples from the skillet and place in a bowl. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.

To Assemble the Tart

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour frangipane into the cooled tart shell, and smooth out the filling so it’s even.
3. Next, place the apples in the tart shell with the flat end of each apple slice sticking down into the frangipane (the curved part of the apples should be up on top). Overlap the apples by 1/3 to 1/2 all the way around the tart. Continue to fill the tart until the tart is full.
4. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges of the tart crust are golden brown. If the apples begin to burn on the edges, lightly cover the top of the tart with a piece of foil.
6. Remove tart from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. Meanwhile, warm the apricot jam and water in a small pot until jam has melted. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the apples with jam to give them a beautiful shine.
7. Allow the tart to cool for an hour or longer to be fully set. It’s best eaten warm with a scoop of ice cream.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. The crust will soften after a few days, so it’s best eaten within the first 2 days for the optimal texture.

 https://bakerstreetsociety.com/french-apple-tart-with-frangipane/#google_vignette