Rabbit was sick all weekend and Monday too, which took us back to the newborn days of sleeplessness. He wouldn't sleep in his crib, and wanted to nurse every 20 minutes. And he needed to be held ALL THE TIME. The only place his was happy was in the tub, which was not super convenient for anybody.
Finally on Wednesday he returned to his chipper self, so we celebrated and made Lemon Lime Bars! These bars are magnificent nuggets of awesomeness. Rabbit's daddy declared them Best Dessert Ever.
Lemon-Lime Bars
(adapted from the Smitten Kitchen)
Crust:
2 sticks of salted butter
1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
Grated lemon and lime zest from 4 lemons and 2 limes
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice
1 cup flour
Finish it off with some powdered sugar to make it all look pretty
First line a 9" by 13" by 2" baking pan with parchment paper. This is so your bars don't get stuck. Leave an overhang on all sides.
Mix the 2 cups of flour with the salt. Heat up the two sticks of butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, until they are soft and a little melty. Then cream the butter and half cup of sugar. Add the flour mixture and beat it all together until just mixed and crumbly. Dump it into the baking pan and use your hands to shmush it flat and even along the bottom of the pan. Stick it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to make it nice and cold. Then put it in the oven and bake it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until it is just starting to turn lightly browned.
While the crust is baking, wisk together all of the ingredients for the filling. Really, it's that simple. It will be very ugly, but that is ok, because it will eventually all taste awesome.
Pour the filling on top of the crust as soon as the crust is lightly browned, and carefully put it back in the oven for 35 more minutes. Then let it cool for an hour or two on the counter.
After it's cool, use the parchment paper overhang to remove the bars from the baking pan. Then dust some powdered sugar and slice it into bars!
Rabbit thinks these bars are truly magnificent.