Lemon Bars from Magnolia Table

Hello lovely people! Let’s talk about some AMAZING lemon bars! Personally, I’m a huge sucker for all things lemon but WOW these are the best lemon bars I’ve ever had!

I got the Magnolia Table cookbook for Christmas and this was my first attempt at one of Joanna Gaines’s recipes and in true Jo-fashion, she did not disappoint! I love to bake, and I love to tweak and mess with recipes until they’re “perfect.” Now, I’ve made these bars four or five times, and I still can’t think of a way to make them better than they already are. The experimental baker in me is slightly upset, but overall I think they’re just too good to mess with.

Now before I get into all the “How-to” of making these scrummy treats (as our dear friend Mary Berry would say), I’m going to lay out the recipe here, because I always hate having to scroll all the way to the bottom of a blog post to find the recipe:

Mina’s Lemon Bars Recipe:

• Cooking spray, butter, or parchment paper
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 lb (2 sticks) salted butter, melted
• 1/2 c powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 c granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (juice from about 2 lemons)

Instructions:

1. Position a baking rack the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Either spray a 9×13 in glass baking dish with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. (I had neither of these things so I used butter to coat my baking dish and it worked just fine.)

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, melted butter, powdered sugar and salt. Mix with a fork until barely combined. You don’t want to over mix. Place dough in baking dish and use fingers to flatten into the prepared pan.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, melted butter, powdered sugar and salt. Mix with a fork until barely combined. You don’t want to over mix. Place dough in baking dish and use fingers to flatten into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.

4. In another mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, eggs and lemon juice until combined. Pour lemon mixture into prepared crust directly out of the oven. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes. Tent with foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

5.Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cut when dish is completely cooled. I added a bit of fresh thyme to some of them just for fun and I thought it was delicious, so give it a try if you have it on hand and you’re feeling adventurous. 😉

6. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. For longer storage, wrap in plastic or freezer bag and freeze up to one month.