Independence Day Recipes
Fourth of July Lemon Flag Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter , softened
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Lemon Filling
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Toppings
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 tube red gel frosting
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.
Shortbread Crust
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer speed low, and beat in the flour and lemon rind until well combined; pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust 15 minutes or until golden.
- Cool the crust in the pan on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Lemon Filling.
Lemon Filling
- In a 2 quart saucepan, mix 1 cup granulated sugar, the lemon juice, water, and cornstarch until well combined. Heat the mixture to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium-size bowl, with a wire whisk, beat the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, eggs and the lemon rind until thick and lemon colored.
- Slowly beat the lemon mixture into the egg mixture until well combined.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
- Bake the cookies 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is firm.
- Cool the cookies completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Cut the cookies into 6 rectangular bars.
- Place the bars on a serving plate.
Toppings
- Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the cookies.
- Create stripes across the bars with the red gel frosting.
- Place 6 blueberries in the top corner of each bar.