The opportunity to plan and execute a menu for a Sewanee graduation party is huge and not to be undertaken lightly. When a group of young women got together to party plan such an important event, naturally there were a lots of opinions. This was the perfect chance to combine my former professional skills as a counselor with my very favorite thing to do- menu planning. One element everyone could agree on was to give the menu a Southern flair. The desserts we selected were Blondies with Dark Roots and Lemon Squares. Now here’s the thing about a Lemon Square, they can be a little gloppy (my sister’s word); they can be a little crumbly (my word), making them messy to eat. The fact is, everybody likes Lemon Squares, but I’ve never – until today – heard someone say, “that’s my favorite desert!” Yes, it’s true, my chocolate obsessed husband actually said these new improved Lemon Squares are his favorite ever dessert. That, my friends, is nothing short of a miracle.
Here’s what I did, I messed with my Lemon Square recipe. I’ve always made Lemon Squares from the same Southern cookbook my mom uses and my friends grew up with. I could bake them in my sleep, by now. Make no mistake, we all love these, but I am not above experimentation. First, I wanted a perfect crust to filling ratio. Next, I wanted a delicious buttery crust that wouldn’t be crumbly, and finally, a tart sweet filling that allows the bars to be cut into beautiful squares. Years ago I changed my shortbread recipe to include a decent amount of cornstarch, based on an old English recipe. That made for a much better texture, buttery and crunchier than before. I applied that to the Lemon Square crust, along with some additional minutes in the fridge before baking. I added more lemon zest to the filling and used less milk. I cooled the squares completely before sifting on the powdered sugar. The result – pure heaven. This will be my new go to recipe in the “What to Bring” category.
I hope the Sewanee crowd loves it and has a picture perfect party and graduation. (YSR girls, and Happy Graduation!)
Ingredients
Crust
1¾ cups flour
¼ cup cornstarch
Secret Ingredient - Cornstarch
¾ cup confectioners sugar
½ tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 and ½ sticks) cold butter cut in pieces
Filling
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 4 lemons
4 eggs
3 Tbsp flour
1½ cups sugar
1/3 cup milk (low-fat is fine)
¼ tsp salt
Extra confectioners for dusting the top of the Lemon Squares
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in a food processor or a bowl.
Pulse in butter to food processor or mix in a bowl with a pastry cutter or fork.
Dough will look like cornmeal.
Coat a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray. (I like to line mine with parchment paper first, but you can skip that step.)
Refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake for about 20 minutes until crust is lightly browned.
While crust is baking make filling.
Combine all ingredients for filling in a large bowl and whisk together until well blended.
When crust comes out of the oven, turn the temperature to 325 degrees, pour filling on top of the hot crust, return to oven and bake another 20 minutes.
Allow Lemon Squares to cool completely before dusting the top with powdered sugar.
Cut into squares and enjoy!
