So, This Guy Walks into a Lemon Bar... OW!

There are some things that are good to know for your health but are emotionally traumatic to know. Like how many people your significant other has slept with. Or if your parents ever did heavy drugs when you were in utero. Or how many egg yolks go into lemon bars.

For my birthday, I had the uncontrollable urge to buy myself silly kitchen gadgets. After my shopping carnage, I was the proud owner of a zester and the Baking Illustrated tome by, you guessed, the peeps at America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated. I’m obsessed.

I decided to make something citrusy in hopes that it would be at least somewhat healthier than the chocolate kick I've been on recently. I had my taste for lemon temporarily satisfied by the tart at Hearth, but I wanted more.

The recipe itself is incredibly easy. The trinity of sugar, flour, and butter make the crust, which you then bake for about 15 minutes. Then using way too many egg yolks to admit in public, some lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt, you create the yummy, freakishly yellow custard topping. Bake all together and voila!


However, knowing just how many egg yolks went into this makes me a little guilty every time I take a nibble. Maybe ignorance is bliss when it comes to baked goods.