Sunny Lemon Bars On A Gloomy Day

This week, I have endured one dreadfully cold day after another. Just going outside to fetch the mail or to take my dog out meant having to load on layers to stay warm. I even needed to find my dog's jacket to make sure that he was warm, too. With such frigid weather and grey skies, I needed a bit of a pick-me-up. I decided that the best way to get a bit of summer in my week was by baking lemon bars. The butter cookie crust with refreshing burst of lemon was just the thing to perk me up!

I began by preheating the oven and greasing a 9 x 13 in. pan. Then I placed flour, soft butter and confectioners sugar in a bowl.

I used a fork to blend the mixture together until it was like cookie dough.

Next, I dumped the dough into the the baking dish and pressed the dough evenly on to the bottom. I placed the dish into oven to bake for 10 minutes.

Then, I cracked four extra large eggs into a large mixing bowl and set it aside.

In a separate bowl, I placed granulated sugar, flour, and baking powder and blended it all together. I set it aside so that I could return to the eggs.

I beat the eggs until they were very fluffy and light in color, then I slowly added lemon juice and continued to beat until well blended.

Next, I removed the crust from the oven and set it aside while I continued to work on the filling. While whipping the egg/lemon mixture with a whisk, I slowly sifted the flour mixture into the eggs. I whisked until thick and smooth. Then, I poured the mixture onto the warm crust and returned the dish to the oven to bake for 25 minutes.

I allowed the bars to cool before sifting a few tablespoons of confectioners sugar on top. Once the bars were cool, they were cut into squares for snacking.

These are fantastic with a cup of tea; so lovely on a cold afternoon. I'm enjoying one as I write this post, with a cup of coffee and a re-run of "Heartland" on Netflix in the background. Tonight is a whole new episode on CBC, after a long break over the holidays. I've been waiting for weeks to see what is going to happen with Amy and Ty, but I think the outcome will be good. I'm forty minutes away from the show and I can't think of a better way to end my day.....and then, there's "Downton Abbey!" I love Sundays! This week will be a very productive week and more posts shall follow.

 Until then~ Toodahloo!