Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sour Cream Lemon Squares



These squares are tangy and sweet, smooth and crisp all at the same time. 3 layers of lemony bliss. The top layer is a silky sour cream topping. Beneath that is a classically tart citrusy filling atop a tender, flaky shortbread crust. These beauties are well worth the effort - and trust me, it's not that much effort.

They are one of the prettier squares out there. Perfect for pot-lucks. I don't know many people who don't like a good lemon square. Taste of Home may not be as "gourmet" as Bon Appétit or as fun as the Food Network Magazine, but I still enjoy it, especially since it is only $13 for a year's subscription! I'm a self-proclaimed magazine junkie... I think I almost need a whole room to house my food magazines. If anybody has any good tips for magazine storage and organization, please let me know, I will be forever grateful.

Sour Cream Lemon Squares
9"x13" pan | Taste of Home Dec/Jan 2000

BASE:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed

FILLING:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon baking powder

TOPPING:
2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, and lemon and orange peel. Add butter; cover and process until mixture forms a ball. Pat into a greased 13" x 9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until set and the edges are lightly browned.

2. In a large bowl,combine all the filling ingredients. Pour over hot crust. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

3. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Spread over hot filling. Bake 7-9 minutes longer or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight and cut into bars just before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

8 comments:

Cakebrain said...

mm! Looks puckery good! Love lemon!

Unknown said...

What a fun new twist on lemon bars! They look fabulous and your picture really shows them off!

Unknown said...

Love the layers here, I get they perk up the taste buds.

Connie the cookie monster said...

this looks great! my brother loves lemons, but i think i wanna keep all of it to myself ahah!

Unknown said...

I think I would just about kill for one of those right now! I also love Taste of Home - I used to read my mother in law's copies religiously when we lived nearby. I still haven't taken the plunge to get my own subscription. I think they've gotten quite a bit more sophisticated over the past few years, actually.

I stopped saving my food magazines a few years ago and now find the recipes online, then save them in delicious.com. Much more streamlined - but not as fun to look through!

The Cooking Photographer said...

Your lemon bars have a topping!!! This is cool. Taste of Home's recipe are really neat. Mainly because they come from home cooks instead of a test kitchen.

Laura

Anne said...

Wow those lemon bars are gorgeous and I've never seen any with sour cream topping- that sounds incredible!

Cindy said...

This looks so good. My mouth is watering as I think of all that lemony goodness.