Sweet Melissa Sundays: Toasted Almond Lemon Bars

Don't these lemon bars look pretty? I wish I could say they tasted as amazing as they look. I enjoyed photographing them more than eating them. I read all the feedback from other Sweet Melissa Sundays bakers earlier in the week and was very encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive feedback. Though my bars taste just fine, I think I prefer a different kind of bar. These were too tart and I was expecting more wow factor from the almond crust.

Speaking of the crust, I'm not sure I understand Melissa Murphy's reasoning for forming the dough 1 1/4 inch up the sides of the pan...almost like a pie crust. This was a time consuming and challenging step that didn't seem to have a pay off...the lemon filling sets up nicely so the crust doesn't need to hold it in. After a total baking time on the crust of nearly 1 hour and 45 minutes the crust going up the sides of the dish got incredibly dark brown.





I halved the recipe and baked it an 8x8 corningware dish. It was more than enough for our two person household.


Thanks go out to Rebecca for selecting the Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe this week. Check out her blog, Indecisive Baker for the recipe. See how the talented SMS Bakers fared with their lemon bars.


Earlier this year I found a lemon bar recipe that is FAN-TAS-TIC. It's a recipe my cousin turned me onto and originates from a gourmet market and cafe in L.A. called Joan's on Third. The Los Angeles Times posted this delicious recipe. It's my perfect balance of tart and sweet on a buttery tender crust. Next time I make them I will post the results here.

For all the lemon bar lovers out there...have you ever eaten at the Nordstrom's Cafe? Nearly all Nordstrom's locations have a cafe and they have wonderful food and fabulous sweet treats, including an incredible lemon bar. Check it out if you need a break from a tough day at the mall sometime. ;)