Easy Lemon Squares Question

[rinsav]

I'm going to make this dessert for the first time tomorrow and I have a question about the fresh lemon juice that is called for in the recipe. Generally, when lemon juice is needed in a recipe, I just use the plastic lemon that has the lemon juice in it. Should I actually be squeezing a lemon for this recipe? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I honestly have never used anything but store-bought lemon juice (don't think too badly of me!:o ).

Thanks!:)

[lisas3575]

Very good question!! I look forward to hearing the consensus on this one! :)

[Grace]

Oh my, FRESH ALL THE WAY!!! (And it's not a dumb question!) You can't use the bottled stuff for this, trust me. The entire recipe relies on the flavor of the lemon, it's not just an "accent" flavor. The better quality juice, the better your bars will be!! And I LOVE this particular recipe!! It's excellent. Everyone will be raving. And I promise you, once you've tasted how this turns out with the fresh stuff, you'll never go back to the bottled stuff again! ;)

[Peggy]

Grace,

Just want to say that I love your new avatar!:D Very cute!!

Peggy

[Grace]

lol, thanks Peggy! At least I know I'm a yakker and freely admit it! :o :o

[PnguinTrax]

I actually made these with bottled lemon juice (I was in a pinch and desparate, went to use the lemons I had in my fridge and they were soft.)

I don't know if it was the bottled lemon juice or the lack of fresh-grated lemon rind, but they were pretty mediocre.

You need freshley grated rind for the recipe anyhow, so you might as well take a few more minutes and squeeze the juice yourself.

Barb

[HRJ]

For recipes in which the lemon taste is paramount, you definitely need fresh lemons.

But, I also keep a bottle of the Minute Maid lemon juice on hand for emergencies, and times when only a little lemon juice is needed. This is the kind that comes frozen -- you can usually find it next to the frozen orange juice in the supermarket freezer case -- and I think it has a cleaner, fresher taste than the bottled kind -- I believe it doesn't have preservatives, but I'm not 100 percent sure about that. Because it does seem a waste to cut up a lemon for a recipe that calls for only 1 tablespoon of juice, or something like that.

This recipe sounds good -- I love citrus desserts in the winter. Is it posted here on the BB, or, what issue of CL is it from?

[catharine]

Just have to plug the Lemon Cheese Bars - I thought those were so amazing. Let me know if you want me to post. Yummmm! Let us know how your lemon bars turn out.

[melisa]

I agree that fresh lemons should be used. Try microwaving the lemons for about 15-20 seconds prior to cutting them and juicing them. You'll actually get more juice!

Melissa

[munchies]

Go for the real lemons! You'll get the zest and the juice, so it's worth it.

I've always rolled my lemons on the counter using my palm and applying light pressure to get them "juicy". I'll have to try the microwave method. The rolling has always worked for me...something about breaking fibers I think.

Heather

[Wendy w]

Absolutely positively DO NOT use the plastic lemon for these!!!!!:eek: These lemon bars are wonderful and deserve fresh.

[rosen]

Uses for the rest of a lemon if you only need a small part of one:

1) Grate all of the zest & freeze what you do not need.

2) Squeeze all the juice & freeze that.

3) Make lemon chicken w/ the leftover juice.

4) Add the leftover juice to a glass of ice water & enjoy a calorie free change of pace.

5) Add the zest or juice to steamed fresh broccoli.

6) Use the juice to rinse your hands after handling onions, fish, or garlic.

7) Use the zest in a pound cake, white cake or yellow cake recipe.

There are tons more....lemons NEVER go to waste in my kitchen!

[Jewel]

Are you all talking about the Lemon Buttercrunch Bars or something else? One of DH's favorite desserts is the Buttercrunch bars made with cottage cheese...I think I'm making these this weekend! :D Or is this another recipe I should know about?

[catharine]

Originally posted by Jewel
Are you all talking about the Lemon Buttercrunch Bars or something else? One of DH's favorite desserts is the Buttercrunch bars made with cottage cheese...I think I'm making these this weekend! :D Or is this another recipe I should know about?

Jewel - that is the one I meant. Oops - I called them lemon cheese bars. Anyhow, the original post refers to the easy lemon bars:

http://www.cookinglight.com/special/Cookie3.asp

I really need to try these!

[rinsav]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely be using fresh instead of bottled.

I'll have to try that Buttercrunch recipe sometime but for now, I'm gonna go with the Easy Lemon Squares. I'll let you know how they turn out.

[Linda in MO]

Am I the only one that thought the Easy Lemon Squares had an eggy taste to them?
We LOVED the Lemon Buttercrunch Bars, by the way!

[rinsav]

So, I made the Easy Lemon Squares and they were great! I squeezed fresh lemons and I definitely think that made a difference. Everyone loved them! I'll give the buttercrunch ones a try next time. I love lemon desserts!

[LynnSC]

I made these Easy Lemon Bars this afternoon. I had to use a 9X9 pan since I didn't have an 8 inch pan. That made them a little thinner than they would have been but they were still delicious. I didn't notice any "eggy" flavor at all. Maybe I had better go do some more taste-testing to be sure though. :)