Creamy Lemon Crumb Bars

In order to celebrate the launching of my very own blog, I had to make something special. My husband, Chris, has been working so hard on making sure the blog was everything I wanted. While he was building the blog I have been meticulously searching the web for recipes, tips that some old friends have requested, and some lip smacking delectable’s that will be made very soon.

I had been eyeing this particular recipe for about a month now. It has all of the elements for a knock out dessert! Creamy filling, tart lemon flavor, an oat crumb topping…. Yummy. But as always, when looking at recipes, I am always thinking how I can make it my own. Though I must admit this looked like a flawless recipe.

Right now it’s spring time in Chicago, which means it’s freezing and raining a lot. Luckily this weekend we had some sunshine which pushed me to make something that screamed spring time, and what doesn’t scream spring time more than a lemon. Sure it’s more of a summer fruit, but this extra tangy friend was just the ingredient I was looking for a quick pick me up from all this crappy weather.

I found this recipe from the Pioneer Women’s website. She’s just the greatest… so clever and fun. I think we’d make great friends if we ever met. She did a great job of showing step by step directions for this recipe; shamefully my pictures did not turn out so great. I forgot to use the good flash on the camera, so I apologize for the poor photos. This recipe was very simple and easy to follow, and the ingredient list was filled with things that I usually have in my pantry. I wish I had made these sooner, they are to die for! I did make some changes though. First I didn’t have Meyer lemons, so I just used the lemons I had in my fridge. I also had a small jar of lemon curd that needed to be used, so I added it to the creamy mixture for a bit of extra tang. I love tangy things, that feeling in the back of your jaw where flavor meets awesomeness… it’s like an explosion of flavor! I also added one of my favorite spices in the world into the crumb mixture, pumpkin pie spice. And right before I was going to pop that beauty into the oven, I got the idea of adding some almonds to the top crumb mixture. I am very glad I did, it added a nice extra crunch to help differentiate the topping from the bottom crust.

I would definitely make these again. These would be great served at a bridal luncheon or baby shower. Since they have oats, they are not so bad for you either, or that’s what I keep telling myself. If you wanted to make these extra decadent I would add about 4oz of cream cheese, maybe 8oz if you’re daring, to the creamy lemon mixture to make it lemony heaven.
Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares: modified from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
• 1 cup Oats
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice plus a little extra to sprinkle on top
• 1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ½ cups Lemon Juice
• Zest Of 1 Lemon
• 1 jar Lemon curd

Preparation Instructions

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.
Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
(I put all of these ingredients in my mixer and combined them by hand)

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan. (I used a 9X13 pan)

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. (This is where I added the lemon curd and if you’re feeling daring you could add in some cream cheese too!)

Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture.

Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press. (This is where I ran some almonds through a food processor and added it to the other half of the crumb mixture for the top. If you don’t have a food processor, just put the almonds in a Ziploc bag and use something like a heavy pan and whack the heck outta those little guys. Once that was incorporate I sprinkled on some extra pumpkin pie spice to the remaining crumb mixture!)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. (I baked mine for 30 min)

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

**It's really yummy warm, but try and wait till its cool... it brings this dish to a whole new level!

Serve cool.