Lion House Lemon Bars

Before I talk about the lemon bars, I have some FUN news to share!!! Actually, one piece of news deserves its own post, so I'll save it. The other news is that my Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes were selected as one of the winners of Martha Stewart's Cutest Cupcakes 2009 contest!! They also told me that they may feature more than just that entry in the gallery of best! I'll let you know when they post the results!

I love the Lion House rolls that they sell in Utah...so I was thrilled to see a Lion House Desserts Cookbook in my gramma's kitchen! I took it (with permission, of course!), along with a book that I can't even look at because I get the craziest cravings and drool on the page. I'll be making something from that one soon...I'm drawing a blank on what it's called at the moment.

Anyway, back to the Lion House...as you've probably gathered, I love anything lemon, so my first choice was the lemon bars. They were really easy and I had all of the ingredients handy!

So, my review. Well, I have two reviews. I had in my mind what I thought they would taste like, so when I first tasted them, I wasn't crazy about them as lemon bars (but remember I am a doughdough and could easily have messed up the recipe!). I didn't think they were lemony enough and I thought there was too much crust and too little filling. If I made them again, I'd try not using all of the crust mixture. However, my guests loved them.

So the next morning, I thought I'd give them another shot and I wolfed down pretty much the whole pan of them! They really were delicious, they just weren't what I expected at first.

Lion House Lemon Bars - from the Lion House Desserts cookbook

1 1/4 cups butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
6 T lemon juice (I used freshly squeezed)
4 T all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

To make crust: Preheat oven to 350. Put butter in mixer bowl and beat until softened. Add flour and powdered sugar and mix on low speed until just combined. Spread dough evenly in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until the corners are light golden brown. Remove from oven and pour filling on top of crust.

To make filling: In a small mixing bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, lemon juice, flour, and baking powder with a wire whisk or on low speed of a mixer for just a few minutes. (It is important not to mix a lot of air into the filling.) Pour on top of partially baked crust and bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into small bars. Makes 18-24.