These Lemon Bars have the perfect balance of tart and sweet with an amazing custard consistency even at room temperature. The crust is a delicious combination of soft and crispy.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a glass 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish with parchment paper or simply butter.
Sift flour, sugar and cornstarch together in a medium bowl. Whisk in salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You could also use a food processor but the crust is so easy, it hardly seems worth washing it.
Press firmly into prepared dish and baking in preheated oven for 15-25 minutes. If you are using a glass dish, the baking time will be on the longer side. Bake until the top of the crust is just starting to brown and it doesn’t look “doughy”. Contrary to popular belief, the top of the crust will not continue to cook under the lemon custard.
To Prepare the Lemon Topping:
While you crust bakes, whisk the eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl until lighter and frothy. Whisk in sugar, 3 tablespoons strained lemon juice, and cream. Taste and add more lemon juice to taste.
Sift in flour, whisk until combined and no lumps remain.
Add lemon zest to taste. Whisk to combine. I whisked for an additional two minutes, but this is probably unnecessary.
Pour over warm crust and bake at 350° just until the topping is set and it doesn’t jiggle in the center. I accidentally baked mine a few minutes too long, and it still had a beautiful consistency. So don’t stress.
Allow to cool completely before slicing. Dust with confectionary sugar just before serving. If it is too humid, your powdered sugar will just melt into the tops of your bars, which will still taste great but it won’t look as lovely.