Gluten Free Lemon Pie Bars.

Something about lemon bars has always screamed warm weather to me - the lemon's yellowness and the scent of them being zested and juiced is complete summery dessert perfection!  Crisp, buttery and tender crust; cold, silky smooth and just-tart-enough lemon curd on top, I urge you to bring these along to any party this summer.

I did something a little different here by using a lemon meringue pie filling recipe for the top of the bars because I wanted them set or "gel" more than normal lemon bars and it worked really well!  These are much easier to cut and serve than other recipes I've used in the past.  I decided not to use the whites for a meringue topping, only because I knew these had to last more than a day or two in the refrigerator and I worried about the meringue beading and slipping on top of the filling, but if anyone tries it, please let me know how it works out!

Happy Summer! :) 

Gluten Free Lemon Pie Bars

Crust:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9x13" glass or metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, salt and powdered sugar, then cut in the butter until it starts to form into a ball of dough.  Using slightly wet or greased hands or an offset spatula, spread the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.  Bake until golden brown around the corners and edges and lightly golden brown in the middle, about 25 to 35 minutes.  Let cool completely before filling.

Lemon Filling:
Recipe doubled and slightly adapted from Anna Olson's Another Cup of Sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups water
1/2 cup cornstarch
10 large egg yolks
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large heavy saucepan, whisk the sugar, water and cornstarch together and mix well.  Whisk in the egg yolks and salt, then cook over medium-low heat until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and becomes glossy and thicker, another 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the zest, lemon juice and butter and whisk until the butter has melted completely.  Pour into the baked crust and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to a day before cutting into squares and serving.