lemon squares

my guide to making the best lemon squares ever

My mom isn’t much of a baker, but there were two things she always made for us growing up: white mountain cake and lemon squares. Some years ago, I decided to start making my own lemon squares, first relying on this recipe from Allrecipes.com and later this recipe from Love & Lemons. I never expected it to be such a big hit, but whenever Layla visits, she requests a batch. And before my move to New York City for an internship, Samira requested a batch to tide her over till my return. She kept them in her freezer and defrosted one piece for each week I was gone. She still has a few left! I’m so impressed by her self-control.

Samira once told me, “I think God blessed you to make the best lemon squares every time.” It was probably the best compliment I’ve ever received. And while I doubt it’s true, I appreciate my friends’ love for them and wanted to share how I make my lemon squares.

So, there are the two recipes I’ve linked above, which I’ve relied on the most. For an 8x8 pan, I use the measurements from the Love & Lemons recipe, and for a 9x13 pan, I use this Allrecipes.com recipe. The recipe below is for an 8x8 pan, which is what I most frequently use for all my baking.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, with additional to dust the top

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter, melted (any high-quality butter, like Kerrygold Irish butter, is preferred)

• 1/4 tsp of salt

• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

• 4 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Grease an 8x8 baking pan, then line it with parchment paper and grease the pan again. Greasing the pan and adding parchment paper are both necessary for easy removal and cutting up the bars.

3. To make the shortbread crust: Add 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl. Whisk to break up any clumps. Add the melted butter and vanilla extract and continue to stir until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. The shortbread will be on the buttery side, and that’s how we want it!

4. Pour the shortbread mixture into the pan. Press it down with your fingers and make sure it is spread evenly across the pan.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, make the lemon curd: Add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour to the same bowl you used before. Whisk, then add 4 eggs and the fresh lemon juice. Keep whisking until the batter appears smooth.

7. Take the shortbread out of the oven and do not pour the lemon curd directly on the crust. Instead, pour the lemon curd through a sieve/mesh strainer placed above the crust. The sieve is important to ensure the curd is as smooth as possible and to prevent any lumps. I like to whisk what’s left in the sieve to get as much of the curd out as I can.

8. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the curd looks fully set.

9. Let cool on the stove for 1 hour, then place in the fridge to cool for a minimum of 2 hours.

10. When you’re ready to serve, lift the parchment paper to place the bars on a cutting board. Slice the bars, wiping off your knife between slices, and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

11. Keep the lemon squares in the fridge. They should be good in the fridge for up to a week. Or, they can be frozen to hold you over for longer, like Samira did ;)

Total Cost = $21.55

• Bag of lemons: $4.99

• 5 lb bag of all-purpose flour: $3.99

• 4 sticks of unsalted butter: $3.59

• Parchment paper: $4.99

• 4 lb of granulated sugar: $3.99

Note: These aren’t all the ingredients I used, but the other ingredients I already had at home. This total is how much it costs *for me* to make these lemon squares, with the cost varying slightly based on what I already have access to. Everything I buy, I always reuse in multiple recipes, so it’s never a waste to bulk buy pantry staples like flour and sugar!

How the lemon squares should look after you take them out of the oven. The lemon curd should be fully set and start to lift from the edges of the parchment paper.

The final product :)

takeaways

I love lemon squares, but even more so, I love how loved they are. Sometimes I get tired of making them, and I don’t crave them as much as my friends do, but I love feeding my friends. And lemon squares can make you feel like summertime even if it’s January in Boston.

Admittedly, it’s also nice to make something I enjoyed so much as a kid. Recreating foods from your childhood can be very healing. Maybe I should try making white mountain cake next? Stay tuned for that (maybe).