When Life Hands You Lemons…Add Butter

Melt-in-your-mouth, perfectly imperfect lemon bars + a blueprint for moving through sour seasons

Lemon Bar Recipe:

Crust Ingredients -

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened or cold but not melted 🙃

• 1/2 cup powdered or granulated sugar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

Filling Ingredients -

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 4 large eggs

• The zest and juice of 2 large lemons.

Optional: a pinch of salt, powdered sugar for dusting, edible flowers, or lemon twists for decor.

🌟A Note On The Butter: Melted butter will still produce delicious lemon bars and also have a slightly smoother crust texture, like pictured above.
For a more crumbly crust, opt for either small cold butter squares pressed with a fork or use softened butter to make your crust. 🌟

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang to help pull the bake out once completely cooled.

3. Make the crust:

   1. In a mixing bowl or food processor, combine 1 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 cups of flour, and 1/4 tsp salt.

   2. Mix until a crumbly dough forms.

   3. Press the dough evenly into the pan and bake for 18-20 minutes uncovered.

4. Make the filling (ideally while the crust is baking) :

   1. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with 1/4 cup flour, 4 eggs, and the zest and juice of two lemons.

   2. Pour the mixture directly over the hot crust, no cooling needed.

   3. Bake for about 22-25 minutes, making sure the custard is set and not jiggling.

   4. Cool in the pan to room temperature and then dust with powered sugar or your favorite topping.

      1. FYI - Dust with powdered sugar after they’re completely cooled or else risk it disappearing like a ghost 👻 😅 - ask me how I know.

Enjoy!
(Scroll down for a quick, inspirational note + behind the scenes pics)

When life hands you lemons, add butter…

Because that’s how you survive the sour twists and turns while trying to build something meaningful.

And when I say butter, I mean YOU.
The calm, the softness, the thing that makes everything better…even sour lemons. 🍋

This season of my life has reminded me of the importance of planning and staying alert - yes, but also, the power in a pivot.
The gentle reminder that even when things unfold differently than we imagine, it doesn’t always mean something worse is waiting around the corner.

I created this blog years ago because I didn’t have a clue how to live out what I’d imagined. Looking back four years later, I realize that getting to this position, one where I feel complete and utter joy most days, wasn’t just because nothing bad ever happened to me.

No, I was disappointed often. By people, circumstances, life, and sometimes with myself.

Those are the lemons. The things that feel sour and hurt your heart and make you doubt whether you’ll ever make it there, the place you’ve set your eyes upon for years.

If there’s anything I could say to help you through lemon seasons, it’s that running from them is not the answer. In fact, there’s never a better time to slow down and go deep to find and remind yourself of who TF you truly are.

That means, give yourself permission to feel impacted by all of the tart, sourness. Make your lemon face, if you need to (aka cry). And make the decision to either let this moment define you and your worth - or, preheat your oven, and grab your butter 🧈.

With Love,
Ambyr

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