So last night I bit the bullet and broke all the rules -- I baked the weekend before an exam! Granted today is Ryan and I's 3 year anniversary of dating, so there was already a lingering reason to bake for my citrus-loving beau. In an effort to satisfy my studying-induced craving to bake, I bring you lemon lime bars. Delicious? Definitely. Adorable? Well the jury's out on that one...
These bars are not the most beautiful thing to come out of my oven -- bars are a tough thing in general to make look really special. But I tried! I baked the bars in individual square tins (something like this, like I used for my Holiday Surprise Cupcakes) so I could have better control over the flow of the separate lemon and lime fillings and make a distinct color and taste separation. Although the technique worked (thanks to my handy boyfriend and a spatula), the pan we used resulted in a crust around each square, rather than just the squares cut from the edges if we had used just one large pan. Although I love a good, chewy brownie edge, the edges around each lemon lime square took away from the translucent, gooey appearance that I love so much in other lemon bars. I guess beauty on the inside is just as important, right??
See the distinct lemon and lime separation? Squint harder! I added a bit of green coloring to the lime filling to help it stand out, and I'm glad I did. Have I mentioned yet how delicious these are? There's so much more to these lemon lime squares than their crusty exteriors, they pack a zingy, refreshing, and delicious lemon-lime punch. I'm a huge fan of lime, and I love it's addition to a classic lemon bar.
Give these a try, maybe just mixing the 2 batters together and reverting to the classic method of baking lemon bars in a 8x8 Pyrex. I love experimenting with baking, and even if the end result doesn't always work out exactly how I planned, I'm always learning!
Lemon Lime Squares
For the Crust:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
For the Lime Filling:
Zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tbsp lime juice
1-1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
Green food coloring (optional)
For the Lemon Filling:
Zest of 1/2 large lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the pan (either an 8x8 Pyrex, or individual tins like this)
- With an electric mixer, beat together butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until creamy. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add the flour and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Press the dough into the pan and bake for 10 minutes
- While the dough is baking, prepare the fillings: in one bowl, mix together the ingredients for the lime filling and in another bowl, mix together the ingredients for the lemon filling. (If you're just going to use an 8x8 Pyrex, go ahead and just mix everything together in 1 bowl)
- To recreate my 2 color look, put the tip of a spatula diagonal in the square cavity and spoon in about 1-1/2 tbsp of the lime on one side of the spatula and 1-1/2 tbsp of lemon on the other. (For the pyrex, just pour it all in)
- Bake for 15 minutes if you're using the mini tins and 20 minutes for the 8x8 Pyrex, or until the filling is slightly golden brown
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