Sunburst Lemon Bars

Sunburst Lemon Bars (Photo by Betty Crocker)

Another great one from my Minnesota cousin Laurie. She made these for us when I was visiting my Grandma Opie, who absolutely loved them!! Laurie added the vanilla & lemon zest to the original recipe, this really bumps up the flavor.

Recipe by: Laurie Maeyaert                                                                      Yield: 36 bars

Ingredients
For the Base:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
For the Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat base ingredients on low speed until crumbly. Press mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.
Meanwhile, in large bowl with wire whisk, lightly beat eggs. Beat in remaining filling ingredients except lemon juice until well blended. Beat in 1/4 cup lemon juice.
Remove partially baked base from oven. Pour filling evenly over warm base.
Return to oven; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until top is light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough lemon juice for desired spreading consistency until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled bars. Cut into bars.

Notes
You can easily half this recipe, just use an 8x8-inch pan.

Original recipe from: Betty Crocker