I think I already mentioned in another post that you can expect a lot of lemon recipes this summer. I think I'm officially obsessed with lemon. This recipe is one my friend Christa always makes. It actually comes from The Pioneer Woman. This is one of her recipes I can actually do with entirely local stuff from the market (okay, except the butter, but I keep a large stash on hand). So that makes it a real winner! And the fact that they are AWESOME. Creamy, lemony, cold, and a crumb topping. It doesn't get much better than that. Buy some lemons, get to zesting and squeezing, and enjoy!
Lemon Crumb Bars
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 1-2 lemons
Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix butter and brown sugar until well combined. Mix in flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Press half of this crumb mixture into a 7x11 inch pan (or something similar). In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and zest (add a teaspoon of lemon extract for more flavor!). Gently pour this mixture over the crumb layer in the pan. Working with your hands, squeeze together handfuls of remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over top of lemon layer. It will cover the lemon layer--don't press it down and disturb the lemon part though! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown at 350F (180C). Allow to cool and then cut into squares and refrigerate. Serve cold!
Notes: I use Nestle or Panda brands sweetened condensed milk that are available at sauce/dry goods sellers in the local market. It also works beautifully with homemade--make sure to use the butter in it.
Lemon Crumb Bars
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 1-2 lemons
Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix butter and brown sugar until well combined. Mix in flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Press half of this crumb mixture into a 7x11 inch pan (or something similar). In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and zest (add a teaspoon of lemon extract for more flavor!). Gently pour this mixture over the crumb layer in the pan. Working with your hands, squeeze together handfuls of remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over top of lemon layer. It will cover the lemon layer--don't press it down and disturb the lemon part though! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown at 350F (180C). Allow to cool and then cut into squares and refrigerate. Serve cold!
Notes: I use Nestle or Panda brands sweetened condensed milk that are available at sauce/dry goods sellers in the local market. It also works beautifully with homemade--make sure to use the butter in it.
We've made this a few times now and we love it! We make our own sweetened condensed milk from your homemade recipe and it tastes great. I didn't have oats this last time and substituted with whole wheat flour (since it's grainy) and it was just as good. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete