Help! I attempted to make Lemon Bars for Josh's birthday yesterday... failing miserably. Lemon bars - how hard can they be?! Apparently hard enough to NOT SET upon baking.
It was a 'Joy of Cooking' recipe. Did I take something for granted? What could I have done? Is it due to the altitude?

The crust was great - shortbread is hard to screw up anywhere.
The filling tasted good, but never set. I baked it according to the recipe, but when it didn't set, I upped the temperature just a hair and put it in for another 20min.
Nuthin'.

Let it chill overnight.... still nuthin'.

It was obviously cooked and it was decidedly thicker, but by no means able to be cut in to bars.

I'm so confused. Baking has always been something that just clicked with me... but upon moving to the Mile-High region, its all been disastrous!

Any insight into my follies is welcome. Its one of his favorite desserts, and I really want to be able to make them, well... better than his mother.

Have you used this recipe before and had them turn out fine? Care to post the recipe?

Oh, it definitely could be due to the altitude. I don't have my Joy of Cooking in front of me. But I think there is a section in it about how to adjust for altitude. Check the index and try their suggestions. And if that does the trick, let us know.

-Krista

Higher altitude affects the leavening properties of baked items often causing them to rise too quickly. Lemon bars, while technically a baked good, do not need to rise. You are basically cooking the eggs and getting everything to set up.

You do need to adjust the temperature up about 25 degrees AND usually cook baked goods a bit longer too although it sounds as if you cooked your bars quite long enough.

Depending on the recipe you used I'm sure there were binding agents - just don't know which ones.....eggs, butter, cream, flour, corn starch, etc. These are the ingredients that bind the dish and cause it to set up and hold together.

Assuming you have made this recipe before and it turned out right is it possible the recipe called for large eggs and you used small instead or that if the recipe called for heavy cream or milk you used skim milk, etc?

If this is the first time you tried the recipe it's altogether possible it made into the book without being tested.

Also, when beating eggs you don't want to beat them up as much as you might be used to. Whipping them up adds additional air - making them lighter.

I'd really like to know if you try the recipe again how it turns out. If all ingredients were followed to a tee and this was your first time trying the recipe please send it to me and I will give it a try too. **Always looking for an excuse to bake** That way we'll know if the altitude was the culprit.

I thought the same thing about the altitude: there's no levening action here, just needs to solidify. But I then thought maybe the altitude does more than I think...??

Maybe I do need to up the temperature a bit more. I only raised it 5 degrees or so when cooking. 25 might do the trick.

The recipe follows. I had not made this one before, but it looked simplest, and the Joy of Cooking has never let me down.

LEMON CURD BARS COCKAIGNE
Preheat oven to 325.
Have a 13x9 baking pan ready

Sift together in a large bowl:
1 1/2c all-purpose flour
1/4c powdered sugar

Sprinkle over the top:
12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pcs

Using a pastery blender, 2 knives or your fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture is the size of small peas. Using your fingers, press the mixture in to the bottom of the pan and 3/4" up the sides to avoid leaking during baking. Bake until golden brown, 20-30 min. Set aside to cool slightly. Reduce oven temp to 300.

Whisk together until well combined:
6 large eggs
3c sugar

Stir in:
grated zest of 1 lemon
1c + 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)

Sift over the top and stir in until well blended and smooth:
1/2c all-purpose flour

Pour the batter over the baked crust. Bake until set, about 35 min. Remove the pan to a rack to cool completely before cutting into bars.


Torile, there really is only one way to know and that is more baking.
This has become a challenge for me now, and I WILL get 'em in the end. These and chocolate chip cookies... the illude me up here at 5500' to. Is fun to try tho!

I looked over the recipes I have for Lemon Bars or Lemon Squares, as we call them here. Most are the same although a few have coconut added. My recipes have a different temperature at the beginning - 350 - lowered to 325 for the final bake. Only minute differences in crust but glaring differences for the filling. The size of the pan is the same - 9X13.

I also noticed that your recipe calls for the crust to cool. One of mine suggests pouring the filling over the crust immediately, stating that the warm crust helps the filling to set. And I usually do have the filling ready to pour over the crust as it comes from the oven.

Your recipe calls for 6 eggs, 3 cups sugar and 1 cup plus 2 T of lemon juice. Mine call for 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar and only 2/3 cup juice. And all of my recipes have baking powder and a bit of salt in the filling. And some have flour in the filling as well.

That is an excellent suggestion: don't allow the crust to cool and pour the filling over immediately.
Thanks!
I'll let ya know how it works.

It was so funny that while I read this post yesterday, I had a batch of lemon bars in the oven. But you know what problem I always have with them...and dang it, if it didn't happen again yesterday. The crust is a bugger to get out of the pan. I patted the crust firmly in the 8X8 pan, baked it for 8 min. and then put the filling in. I let in cool on the counter and then fridged the pan for about 6 hrs. When I went to cut them up to take to book club, yuck! No neat squares, TG for powdered sugar. BTW, I did grease the pan. Any suggestions?

Sandra

Maybe line with parchment paper instead of greasing. That way you can lift it all out of the pan and cut them up neatly.

It works for fudge, which never seems to come out of the pan neatly, either.