Lemon Bars With Coconut Shortbread Crust

• CRUST
• flour↗1 1⁄4 cups
• powdered sugar↗1⁄3 cup
• salt↗1 pinch
• cold butter↗1⁄2 cup

  cut into cubes

• sweetened flaked coconut↗1⁄2 cup

  toasted

• LEMON FILLING
• sugar↗3⁄4 cup
• large eggs↗2
• fresh lemon juice↗1⁄4 cup
• grated lemon peel2 tablespoons
• flour↗1 1⁄2 teaspoons
• baking powder↗1⁄2 teaspoon
• salt↗1 pinch
• powdered sugar↗

  for sprinkling

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Set oven to 350 (second-lowest rack).

2. 2

   Butter an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish.

3. 3

   To make the crust: combine flour, sugar and salt in a small processor; blend for about 5 seconds.

4. 4

   Add in flaked coconut and cold butter; process until mixture resembles fine meal and clumps together.

5. 5

   Press the dough over the bottom of prepared pan (do not pack to tightly).

6. 6

   Bake for about 20 minutes or until crust is golden around the edges.

7. 7

   In a medium bowl whisk together all the filling ingredients (except the powdered sugar) until smooth.

8. 8

   Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling over the hot crust.

9. 9

   Return to the oven and bake until the filling begins to brown around the edges, and is JUST set and springy to the touch (around 25-30 minutes).

10. 10

    Cool the lemon bars completely before slicing.

11. 11

    Sift with powdered sugar.

12. 12

    **NOTE** if you want to remove the bars from the baking dish before slicing them, place a piece of buttered foil on the bottom of the dish (leaving an overhang of foil) before patting in the crust mixture. When the bars are COMPLETELY cool, remove them with the foil overhang, my advise would be to place the bars in the fridge before removing them with the foil to avoid breakage of the crust.