Tart Lemon Tart

I went back and tweaked my brownie recipe, so you can now follow it knowing that it will create some really amazing brownies.

I also made my first attempt at lemon bars this weekend, and they came out fantastic, so I thought I'd share the recipe. These come out significantly more tart then lemon bars usually are, so you could reduce the amount of lemon juice if you like.

Tart Lemon Tart

1/2 stick (1/4 c) salted butter, softened
1/4 c powdered sugar
1 1/4 c flour
3 eggs
1 3/4 c sugar
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325°. Line an 8x8 Pyrex cake pan with nonstick aluminum foil. In a bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar and 1 cup of flour with your fingers until crumbly, then press it into the pan as evenly as possible. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until dry but not browned. Meanwhile, using the same bowl if you like, beat the eggs until foamy, then mix in the sugar, remaining flour and lemon juice and extract. Pour this mixture over the crust and bake for another 20 minutes or so, until the lemon custard is set in the center. While the bars are still warm, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top. Let cool for at least an hour before cutting.

I was actually really surprised how easy it is to make these and how delicious they come out. I'm sure they would also be delicious with key lime juice rather than lemon. You could also make this in a round cake pan and cut it into slices, to make it more like a tart.

Best Brownies Ever, Take... Several

I've tweaked my brownie recipe again, in response to Aaron's suggestion. I asked him how I could make my brownies better, and he said, "More kinds of chocolate." So I added two more kinds of chocolate, and I'm extremely pleased with the results. The texture is moist, fudgy, almost gooey, but without being dry.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

1 stick salted butter
1/2 c Dutch process cocoa
1 1/3 c sugar
2 eggs
4 tbsp Hershey's syrup
2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c flour
1/2 c Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9x9 square pan (I use Pyrex) with nonstick aluminum foil. Put the butter in a metal mixing bowl and stick it in the oven just long enough to melt. Whisk in the cocoa, sugar, and eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Then switch to a wooden spoon and gently stir in the flour and salt. Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate morsels evenly over the top, then press them slightly into the batter using the wooden spoon. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife in the middle of the pan comes out almost clean.

I think I've finally achieved the perfect (according to my taste anyway) brownie. It's all I can do not to bake another batch tonight.