Easy Lemon Bars

I wish I would have snapped a picture of the sky today so I could show you, but take my word for it - it was gray.  Not like pretty-hazy-snowy-gray, it was cold-damp-dreary-icky-gray.  I'm so over winter, guys.  I just want it to be February already, so I can say that "at least it's February so that means it's almost March which means it's almost April and then things will finally warm up."  Sigh. However, in the spirit of making the best of the end of January blahs, I made lemon bars.  They are bright and cheery and tangy and summery - the exact opposite of what we have going on outside.  And I gotta tell you that one bite will cheer you up immediately. If I closed my eyes for a sec and stood directly over my furnace vent with my electric blankie around my shoulders, it almost felt like summer.  Almost... The very best thing about these bars is that they are SUPER easy.  The shortbread crust has just a few ingredients and goes together in no time, and the lemon curd is no different - just a quick whisk and it's done. It's kind of strange that I've never shared a lemon bar recipe before on LEMON SUGAR, but I think it's because it's really hard to find a good recipe. For me, that means a crust that stays tender and doesn't over-brown, and a curd that is sweet and tangy but not eggy.  I want my lemon curd to taste like lemons, not egg yolk - and believe it or not, that's a hard thing to find.   This recipe is perfect though.  Not even a hint of egg yolk! I have used both regular and Meyer lemons, and both are delish - but I think I prefer Meyer lemons - I love the orange undertones. A few tips:

• Your crust will be crumbly, and that's ok!  It will all stick together and press nicely into your baking dish.
• I'd suggest using parchment or foil to help remove your bars from the baking dish.  I like to use a sheet of parchment with flaps hanging over the sides so I can just lift it out once it's cooled.
• Keep an eye on your crust and your topping - you don't want to overbake.  Remove the crust when it just turns golden brown around the edges, and remove the curd when it JUST sets up.
• Once you remove it from the pan, cut the crusts off, then cut into bars.  It makes them prettier!
• Store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Hope you love this one - enjoy!