The bright flavor of lemon combined with poppy seeds really kicks the traditional lemon bar up a notch. They're vibrant, fresh tasting, and pleasantly sweet. I like to use black poppy seeds for a pop of color and just a little more eye appeal.
Ingredients
- cooking spray:
- butter: 0.5 cup (softened)
- confectioners' sugar: 0.25 cup
- all-purpose flour: 1 cup
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- ground cardamom: 0.125 tsp (optional)
- poppy seeds: 1 Tbsp
- ½ cups white sugar: 1 piece
- eggs: 3 piece
- lemon juice: 0.33333 cup (freshly squeezed)
- lemon zest: 2 tsp
- all-purpose flour: 0.5 cup
- confectioners' sugar: 1 Tbsp (or as needed)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
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Combine butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cardamom; mix until just combined. Stir in poppy seeds until evenly distributed. Press dough evenly into the prepared baking dish with floured hands.
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Bake crust in the preheated oven until edges are just starting to brown, about 18 minutes.
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While the crust is baking, combine sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and stir until just combined.
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As soon as the crust comes out of the oven, pour the filling into it and return to the oven.
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Bake until filling is puffy and lightly browned around the edges, about 30 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely before cutting into 16 squares. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar.
