I don't know about you, but I am getting ready for holiday menus, church fair baking, holiday gift boxes and hostess gifts. This year I've been questing for different cookies and cookie bars, new breads, and savory tidbits. Since it's a rainy and snowy day (Yes, sloppy wet snow is coming down!), I am hangin' in the kitchen and working on a new lemon bar recipe. I'm thinking these lemon bars will be a welcome flavor change from the heavily spiced and chocolate cookies that sit on so many holiday cookie plates. Let me know what YOU think!
For your inspection ... make a cup of tea and have a warm lemon bar.
Lemon Nut Bars
Ingredients:
1½ c. flour
½ c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ c. sugar
¾ c. butter
1 c. old-fashioned oats
½ c. chopped walnuts
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 egg
¼ c. vanilla sugar (I used two small envelopes of pre-made product)
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. lemon peel
Making the Lemon Bars:
1. Preheat oven and grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
2. Pulse the flour, sugars, and butter in the bowl of a food processor until the butter resembles crumbs.
3. Add the oatmeal and the nuts and pulse until the dough begins to clump.
4. Measure out 1 c. crumb mixture and set aside.
5. Press the rest of the crumb mix into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
6. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
7. Spread the lemon mixture on the hot crumb crust, dust the top of the lemon with confectioner's sugar, top with the reserved crumb mixture.
8. Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
9. Remove and cool completely. Dust with more confectioner's sugar before slicing into bars.
MAZURKA BARS! I've been hunting for a recipe for the bars from Bread Alone and The Baker's Apprentice and bookmarked one. This recipe looks very much like it!
ReplyDeletethese look heavenly!
ReplyDeleteI love almost anything with lemon in it. These look delicious. Beautiful teacup by the way.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about concentrating on one cuisine....it's like we cook in waves..lol...right now I am on a goan food stunt myself and waiting for the frustrated sigh from hubby dear when yet another goan dish awaits at the dinner table :)
ReplyDeleteI have never ever made lemon bars and yours look amazing and textury unlike the lemon yellow insipid things one usually sees. LOVE them!
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
@ Devaki - Thank you! I was shooting for a lemon bar with more oomph ... something to hold up to a hot cup of tea or coffee. The softer versions are fine, but they lend themselves to a cool glass of iced tea. The oats and walnuts in this version hold up to wintertime fare.
ReplyDeleteI love these lemon bars with a pot of freshly brewed tea...mmm..life is just delicious.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing - get stuck on types of food, or certain ingredients...I guess its sort of natural?
ReplyDeleteYour lemon bars look so appetizing...I can almost imagine taking a delicious tart-sweet-nutty bite.