Lemon Bars

I have been craving lemon bars. I have never made them from scratch, usually I just use the box mix stuff....but I found a Weight Watchers recipe and thought I would try it. I had to half the recipe, but they turned out great none the less. They are only 3 points each!

Lemon Bars
Ingredients

1 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
5 tbsp packed light brown sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 large egg(s)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup(s) powdered sugar, divided
3/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.


To make crust, mix flour and light brown sugar using a food processor until fully incorporated. Toss butter into flour mixture and pulse to combine using short bursts of power until butter is cut into tiny pea-sized pieces and dough appears lumpy. Sprinkle crust mixture onto an ungreased 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan as evenly as possible; press down with a spatula to create a packed surface. Place crust in middle of oven and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, to make lemon topping, beat eggs in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until well blended. Add vanilla extract and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar; mix well. Add lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar; mix until powdered sugar is completely dissolved and then add zest.


As soon as crust is finished, remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Immediately pour lemon mixture over hot crust. Bake completely, about 30 minutes; cool, and cut into 24 bars. Yields 1 bar per serving.
Notes
The crust must be HOT when you pour on the lemon mixture.

You’ll need approximately three lemons to yield the amount of juice and zest in this recipe.

You can increase the lemon flavor of these bars by adding more zest or eliminate the zest altogether for a less tart taste. You can also change the flavor completely by subbing fresh lime juice and zest for the lemon.

* Photo and recipe courtesy of Weightwatchers.com

Peaches and Blueberries

I love to bake. And I usually try and bake once a week. This weeks attempt: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler (by the way the picture is not of my food...but it looks just like it). I had a few peaches in the fridge that when I ate one, I thought it was a bit tart, so I needed to bake them. Ryan loves blueberries, so I found this Weight Watcher friendly recipe for Peach Blueberry Cobbler. I didn't eat any, but I know it was good, because it didn't last!!! Here is the recipe that I used:
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/wwrecipes/peachand.htm

1 cup low-fat biscuit and baking mix

1/2 cup regular oats

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup chilled reduced-calorie stick margarine, cut into small pieces

4 cups frozen sliced peaches

2 cups frozen blueberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar



1. Preheat over to 350º. 2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal (I did this part in my food processor). Set aside. 3. Combine peaches and blueberries in a 2-quart casserole; sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over fruit. Bake at 350 º for 45 minutes or until bubbly.