Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Toasted almond lemon bars

This is this month's Cookie carnival recipe. Holly of Phemomenon (http://phemomenon.blogspot.com/) is guest hosting the Carnival for April. Holly has chosen TOASTED ALMOND LEMON BARS. The only modification I made to the recipe is to use unblanched almonds and to quarter the recipe. I know I only made a small amount and perhaps that is why they came so thin. Here's the recipe:
Toasted Almond Lemon Bars
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted (used unblanched almonds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
For the Lemon Filling:
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

To Toast the Almonds:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Before You Start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Make a parchment "sling" by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil). Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with the cooking spray.

To Make the Crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
2. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/4 inches up the sides. (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling. So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides - no cracks!). Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights ( you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

To Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice, and whisk to combine.

To Complete the Bars:
1. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
2. When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2 - inch bars. Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners' sugar.
The bars keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Do not unwrap before defrosting. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

37 comments:

Purnima said...

Loved it absolutely..the flavor must b truly worth it! Good one Natalie!

Mary said...

che buoni ed invitanti!

apparentlyjessy said...

Oh gosh, I think these look SO good, oooh delicious, I want one right now! Thanks for sharing such a good looking recipe, I am totally book marking this!

Micaela said...

Non ho mai provato questo tipo di dolce, dev’essere buonissimo!!! Lo proverò!!! :-P

Ciao Chow Linda said...

It looks great. I've always loved lemon bars.

Sweet Treats by Dani said...

sounds delish :)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Tart and tantalizing!!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Tart and tantalizing!!

Donna-FFW said...

Oh this must taaste so wonderful with this crust. They look fabulous!!

My Ricettarium said...

Son passata per un saluto, bacioni cara Nat!

Eliana said...

You're talented in oh so many ways. These bars are making my mouth water.

The Blonde Duck said...

I've never had lemon bars. Neat!

Roby said...

Che bontà sublime!!!Lo assaggerei volentieri,brava.

Justin said...

I haven't made anything like lemon bars in a while, but looking at this makes me think it's time!

Caitlin said...

These almond lemon bars sound amazing! I love almonds and I love lemon, so this is perfect. I'll have to try this recipe out for my mom since she can't eat chocolate.

Maria said...

Oh wow, those bars look perfect! I can't wait to make them!

Cakespy said...

Don't tell cake, but Lemon Bars are one of my FAVORITE treats! These look perfect.

Morena said...

e come sempre non posso che giudicare dalla foto e dire..."mamma mia come sarà buono!!!!!"

brava brava!!

Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said...

Just gorgeous! Citrus and cakes or slices are just heaven together :D

eatme_delicious said...

Ooo this bar looks stunning! I don't think I noticed this recipe in the Sweet Melissa Baking Book - but I sure have now!

Anonymous said...

almond PLUS lemon?! yummmm! these look great!

i dolci di laura said...

golosissima! che buona!

Unknown said...

Uhhhh ^_^
ma quella cremina limonosa?
Libidine :)

Steph said...

I can't believe I've never had a lemon bar before!

may26 said...

(^_^)hello Nat, congratulations, this creation is successful. The will try as soon as possible.(^_^)
an affectionate greeting kiss ♥

Suzana Parreira said...

I love anything with lemon in! Not surprisingly, those bars look so scrumptious it feels like biting one straight away... Mmmm. :)

katty said...

good!!! gnam gnam!!! kiss!!

Annie said...

Sounds like lemon heaven to me!! And almonds make it even better.

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

Hi. I'm new to your site; you have some great looking bakes! Each month I host an event where bloggers can send in desserts they've made. Next month I'll be featuring cupcakes. I'd love for you to participate.

Juliana said...

I love lemon bars and almond, so this is a perfect match. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Lemon bars.. oh goodness you are speaking to my taste buds on so many levels. Gosh they look fantastic.

Unknown said...

Yum, lemons and almonds! Great combo. I can't wait to make these.

Palidor said...

I've made lemon bars before, but never thought to combine lemon and almonds. Looks great!

Elyse said...

Mmm, what a great twist on the traditional lemon bar. Your bars turned out fabulously. They look super yummy, and I wish I could have one right now.

PheMom said...

Your bars look great to me! Thanks so much for joining in the fun this month! I can't wait to try these. My lemon bars are cooling right now.

Tami said...

With so many great comments on these bars, I can't wait to make them! Yours look delicious!

kate said...

yours look awesome, and i am wondering why i neglected to put the powdered sugar on top of mine. whoops!