Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [382]
Lemon Bars
Use a microplane to get the lemon zest grated as thinly as possible—or shave it off with the large holes of a box grater and then mince it on a cutting board until you have the smallest, thinnest threads. Makes 16 bar cookies
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, plus additional for greasing the pan
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch baking pan; set it aside.
Mix 1½ cups flour, 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, and the salt in a large bowl. Add the chunks of butter and cut them into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture is a little coarser than dry oat bran.
Press this mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure there are no holes and compacting the mixture somewhat to form a cookielike crust.
Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack.
Without delay, beat the granulated sugar, eggs, and egg yolk in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale yellow and quite thick, like a thin sabayon, about 3 minutes. Beat in the lemon juice and lemon zest, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Pour this mixture evenly over the hot crust.
Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is set (it should jiggle a bit when shaken, but there should be no liquid in the mixture), about 25 minutes.
To cool: Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar over the pan, then cut the cookies into 16 squares (making four cuts each way in the pan).
To store: The bars can be kept in a sealed container between sheets of wax paper for up to 3 days.
Lime Bars: Substitute lime juice for the lemon juice; substitute 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest for the lemon zest.
Lime Coconut Bars: Substitute lime juice for the lemon juice; substitute 1 tablespoon finely ground sweetened coconut for the lemon zest. When they’re fully cooled, dust the top of the bars with 1 tablespoon finely ground sweetened coconut.
Orange Bars: Substitute thawed orange juice concentrate for the lemon juice; substitute orange zest for the lemon zest but also add 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Maple Cheesecake Bars
A rich, sweet cheesecake filling, a salty bar cookie base—is there a better combination? Grind the pecans in a food processor until they are the consistency of fine cornmeal. Makes 16 bar cookies
6 tablespoons cool unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus additional for greasing the pan
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup finely ground pecan pieces
1/3 cup rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
10 ounces regular or low-fat cream cheese (do not use fat-free), softened to room temperature
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking dish; set aside.
Beat the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light, airy, and pale brown, about 3 minutes.
Turn off the beaters. Add 1 cup flour, pecans, oats, cinnamon, and salt; beat at low speed until a crumbly dough forms, somewhat like a cobbler topping, about 1 minute.
Pour this mixture into the prepared pan and gently press across the bottom to create an even crust with no gaps or holes. Bake for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
While the crust is baking, clean and dry the bowl and beaters. Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until slightly