Lemony Glazed Shortbread Bars

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup cornstarch

• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup lemon zest (6-7 lemons)

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• Lemony Glaze recipe (below)

Lemony Glaze

Whisk together 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp. lemon zest, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. light-color corn syrup, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla until smooth

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with heavy foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Lightly coat foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour and cornstarch. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers or pressing against the side of the bowl with a wooden spoon, work lemon zest into powdered sugar until sugar is yellow and very fragrant.*

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the vanilla with a mixer on medium until combined. Gradually beat in sugar mixture. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Continue stirring until dough comes together. Gather dough into a ball. Press dough evenly into prepared pan.

4.  Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately spoon Lemony Glaze over top and gently spread evenly over shortbread. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift uncut bars out of pan. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

*Tip: Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar helps release aromatic oils from the zest.

Hands-On: 40 min.
Total Time: 1 hr. 20 min.

Per Bar: 181 cal, 9 g fat (6 sat fat), 23 mg chol, 98 mg sodium, 25 g carb, 14 g sugars