Cup4Cup

Lemon Bars with Fresh Thyme

Yield: One 9” x 9” pan

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (80 g) granulated sugar

1 cup (220 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons (24 g) water

1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon (1 g) fresh lemon zest

¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

Zest of 3 lemons

½ cup (115 g) fresh lemon juice

1 cup (225 g) butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon (2.7 g) powdered gelatine

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9” x 9” pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper.
In large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, fresh thyme and lemon zest. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix in the water using a fork. The dough will be crumbly.
Press the dough in an even layer into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 35-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Cool to room temperature.
For the filling, bloom the gelatin in a small bowl with about 1/3 of the juice for 10 minutes.
Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until thickened.
Transfer the thickened egg mixture to a blender along with the bloomed gelatin. Blend on medium speed to combine. Next, with the blender on low add in the butter one piece a time to emulsify it in.
Pour the lemon filling onto the cooled crust and smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate until the filling has firmly set, about 4 -8 hours.
Cut into bars of desired size and serve. Store in the refrigerator.