Skip to main content

Hoffman Lemon Bars

How nice to kick off The Monthly Cookie with this recipe for Hoffman Lemon Bars.  To my mind, they hit the perfect summertime note because of all that lemony goodness.  They are just the thing to eat when you're craving something rich & sweet.  I first tasted these delicious cookies back in college, at a reception held for my friend Ashley Hoffman.  It was her mother Nicole who made a batch of them for the occasion, and I seem to recall devouring two on the spot.  You can imagine how glad I was when they kindly allowed me to share this recipe with you.  The cookies themselves are crumbly & buttery, rich & tasty, sweet & tart, all at the same time.  You'll see how simple they are to assemble and how quickly they'll disappear from your kitchen.



The Hoffman Lemon Bar.  Lemony & absolutely delicious!


The Ingredients: Cookie Crust
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
  • 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
❁❁❁❁❁
 Cream your butter and sugar. Slowly add your flour and mix well.

Pat your cookie dough into a 9x13" pyrex dish that's been lined with parchment.  The parchment will help release the bars quite easily.
 
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  Remove the dish from the fridge and bake for 20-25 minutes.  The cookie base should be cooked & have a very light golden color.

The Ingredients: Lemon Filling
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • juice of 2 large lemons (1/2 cup juice)
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • pinch of salt
❁❁❁❁❁
 Whisk the eggs and sugar.  Add your lemon juice, zest, flour and pinch of salt.  Mix well.

Remove the cookie base from your oven & immediately pour the custard filling over it.  Return the entire dish to your 350°F oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes.  The top will take on some color, but it shouldn't brown excessively.  Let cool completely.
To get perfectly smooth slices, run your knife under very hot water, wipe dry & make your slice.  Repeat this process with every cut until you end up with about 24 squares.  Remove & dust liberally with confectioner's sugar.  Inhale!

Nicole says that the recipe was originally given to her by a friend named Dianne Hansen, who used to bake these for church socials in Newport News, Virginia.  Although it does instruct you to inhale the lemon bars after they've been cut & dusted with confectioner's sugar, we strongly advise you against it.  It's best to just devour one or two the old-fashioned way.  Incidentally, don't blame me if you fail to show restraint around these cookies.  Have I enticed you yet to give these lemon bars a try?  I certainly hope so. Cheers!


❁❁❁❁❁

Thank you Ashley & Nicole!

❁❁❁❁❁

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for th...
50 comments
Read more

A Tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and Friends

Martha Stewart led an intimate tour of her former Westport, Connecticut home and gardens for a few of my friends this past weekend.  From the photographs I've seen of that special day, it was an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime by those who were in attendance.  As much as I regret not going to this momentous occasion, my friends were kind enough to allow me to share their amazing photographs here on the blog. Let's take a tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and a few of my friends. Without the kindness of Jeffrey Reed, Dennis Landon, Darrin David, Anthony Picozzi and Colin Eastland, this post would not be possible.  It must also be stated that the fundraising event was graciously hosted by the current owners of Turkey Hill, the Bergs. Many thanks to the Berg family for opening up the property. Turkey Hill is the Federal style home that was purchased, renovated and landscaped by Martha Stewart and her then husband, Andy, back in 1970. ...
17 comments
Read more

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David...
48 comments
Read more