Very tangy lime lemon bars

Facing the possibility of making either lemon or lime bars, what does one do? I solved that dilemma by making lemon AND lime bars – why choosing one if you can have both? :)

After I made the cocoa brownies – courtesy of Chuck – Ana Elisa told me that I would love Alice Medrich’s books; I ended up buying Bittersweet and Pure Dessert and these delicious and mouthwateringly tangy bars are from the latter.

Very tangy lime lemon bars
from Pure Dessert

Crust:
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour

Topping:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) caster sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lime and 1 lemon
¼ cup (60ml) strained freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup (60ml) strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) baking pan and line it with aluminum foil leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Butter the foil.

Start with the crust: in a medium bowl, combine melted butter with sugar, vanilla and salt. Add flour and mix until just incorporated. Press dough evenly over bottom of pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is fully baked, well-browned at the edges and golden brown in the center.
Now, the topping: while crust is baking, stir together sugar and flour in a large bowl until well-mixed. Whisk in eggs. Stir in zest and juices. When crust is ready, reduce heat to 150°C/300°F, slide rack with pan out and pour filling onto hot crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until topping no longer jiggles when pan is tapped.

Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Lift up foil liner and transfer bars to a cutting board. If surface is covered with a thin layer of moist foam (not unusual), blot surface gently with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture; repeat with a fresh piece of paper towel if necessary.
Using a long, sharp knife, cut bars into 16 or 24 daintier bars and sift powdered sugar over bars, if desired. Stored in an airtight container, bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Makes 16