Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup cold butter
½ cup powdered sugar (no need to sift unless it has big lumps)
4 beaten eggs (just whip them with a fork)
2 cups white sugar
8 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon or so of zest (optional) (zest is finely grated lemon peel)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons flour (1/4 cup – don’t bother to sift)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.

Cut each stick of butter into eight pieces. Zoop it up with the flour and the powdered sugar in a food processor until it looks like coarse cornmeal (just like the first step in making a pie crust). Spread it out in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan (that’s a standard sheet cake pan) and pat it down with your hands.

Bake at 350-degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven. (Don’t turn off oven!).

Mix eggs with white sugar. Add lemon juice (and zest, if using). Add salt and baking powder and mix. Then add flour and mix thoroughly. (This will be runny – it’s supposed to be).

Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and stick it back into the oven. Bake at 350-degrees for another 30 – 35 minutes. Then remove from the oven and sprinkle on additional powdered sugar.

Let cool thoroughly and cut into brownie-sized bars.

Source: Hannah Swensen Mystery Book – Joanne Fluke, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
Visit her Web site - you'll love it, plus there's more nummy recipes of hers posted here!
Click here for MurderSheBaked.com