Meyer Lemon Bars

I’ve been so excited about these hints of sunshine and warmer [50° is warm, okay?] weather that I actually put the heater away. I keep an oil heater down in the entry way during the cooler months to take the edge off because it’s two stories lower than the bedroom. I clearly moved it too soon. It always feels 20 degree cooler when you head out the door. I know I’m exaggerating, but c’mon March — you really can’t trust it. You can’t really trust my judgement either. I should have left it alone.

I’m ready for bright, light, and generally warmer weather, but I know not to expect it until closer to July. I haven’t stopped wearing tights and leggings just yet. I’m not ready to unleash my pasty pale legs on the world yet. It also means I can eat all the soup and comfort food I want without any feeling like I’m too late to the party. Sneaking in bits of citrus definitely takes more of the edge of of colder weather. It’s almost like bright pops of sunshine. These lemon bars totally trump the other ones I made last month [sorry Andrew].

They are exactly what I expect from a lemon bar. It’s much more tart than sweet, but not overly so thanks to the Meyer lemon. The best part is the coconut in the shortbread crust. My god, what a difference that makes. It’s such a nice touch. The crust is crumbly, but tastes awesome. That’s what the lemon filling is for anyway. It holds it all together. Processing an entire lemon with sugar takes all the bitterness away. Adding a hint of greek yogurt also added to it, but it probably didn’t help my face any. A week of regular yogurt really isn’t that beneficial when you’re to cut costs, but it sure as hell tastes good.

I want more.

Inspiration: Salad in a Jar

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 Meyer lemon peeled, seeds removed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup non fat yogurt

Preparation

Preheat an oven to 350° and line an 8×8 pan in aluminum foil. In a larger microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in about 50 seconds. Add the flour, powdered sugar, shredded coconut, and a pinch of salt. When everything is moist from the butter, pour it into the prepaid pan and flattened it out. Bake for 20 minutes.

In a food processor, mix together the entire lemon cut into quarters and the cup of sugar. Make sure it is mostly, if not 100%, pureed. Add the tablespoon of flour, yogurt, and eggs. When the mixture is smooth, pour it into the pan with the baked crust. Bake for another 20-25 minutes after it’s turned down to 300°. The lemon filling will be set.

Cool the squares as much as possible before eating. They’re really, really good. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.