Lemon Bars

I am trying to eat more lean meats, specifically, fish. I do not like fishy aftertaste, however, and lemon bars make for the perfect palate cleanser.

I found a recipe from the site Cooking Done Light for a low calorie lemon bar. It did not specify the size of the pan, so I made it in my 9" x 13" pyrex. I did not notice it at the time, but the recipe is for a 8" x 8" pan. The lemon bars were delicious, but very flat.

I made these right before Spring Break.

Low Calorie Lemon Bars


Ingredients

1/4 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 eggs
scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
additional confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.

Beat the 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar and butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the 1/2 cup of pastry flour and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until just golden brown (about 10 to 12 minutes). Cool on a wire rack and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

While the oven temperature reduces, whisk the eggs on medium speed until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and return to the oven until “set” (about 20 to 25 minutes – do not touch the filling with your fingers or it will stick to them and you will have a big dent in your bars!) Cool completely on a wire rack, then cut into 12 squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
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Makes 12 servings (squares). Per Square: 66 calories, 2 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 14 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 6 g added sugar, 4 g protein, 46 mg sodium, 92 mg cholesterol.


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After Spring Break, I decided to try making lemon bars again.

Since I was looking for a thicker bar, I found a Weight Watchers recipe that is intended for a 9 x 13" pan. The photo was misleading, though, and these were just as thin as the lemon bars previously. Not only that, but the crust was very crumbly, falling apart when I took them out of the dish. The serving size was also unreasonably small. I would NOT make the Weight Watchers recipe again.

Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts, and I am not giving up on finding the perfect recipe so I've got 4 other recipes lined up, each with pros and cons:

1)
Creamy Lemon Squares: The recipe is from Martha Stewart. The photo, from the blog Sweet and Saucy, show the thickness I'd like to get my bars to be. The problem is that the recipe is not very healthy. A whole stick of butter is used in the crust--I'd have to double the recipe for my 9 x 11 dish. It uses sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks only. (Which is frustrating, as what am I supposed to do with the egg whites?) Plus, no lemon zest, only lemon juice. How tart can this thing be, if it contains no zest?

Maybe I should just get an 8 x 8" pan?

2)
These Lemon Bars from Have Fork, Will Eat are also nice and thick and are for a 9x13" but the recipe contains 3 cups of sugar! It's not a lemon bar--it's a sugar bar!

 3)
Lemon Lover's Lemon bars:  These are not quite as thick, but have reasonably "healthy" amounts of ingredients, as desserts go.

4)
Lemon bars with a sweet pie crust, from Random Cuisine. I saved this recipe because it looks like a custard, more than a lemon bar, and reminds me of Chinese egg custard cups, of which I am also fond. It uses yogurt, instead of milk. I wonder if I could substitute yogurt for the sweetened condensed milk in Martha Stewart's recipe?