Lemon Bars

I made these lemon bars for the faculty appreciation luncheon at school this year. A good lemon bar is hard to resist. There's the sweet shortbread crust that snaps when you bite into it, and the creamy lemony topping which is quite generous in this recipe from Ina Garten. If you have time, let the bars cool for several hours before cutting them into squares, and wipe the knife clean between cuts to get a nice smooth edge. I made these at the last minute and couldn't wait to cut them so it was hard to get a straight edge on these - but they were delicious nonetheless.

Lemon Bars
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove crust from the oven and leave the oven on.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.