I guess all deserts do not have to contain chocolate or be wibbly wobbly in the form of Jelly, for the other day at a friend’s ‘high tea’ my children single handedly demolished a whole plate of lemon squares.

Yes it was not a very proud mummy moment watching my children unabashedly gobble down all the lemon squares and I, quite sheepishly praised my friend on her culinary abilities. KIDS, I tell you!

But these lemon squares truly are delicious and so quick and easy to whisk up for an afternoon tea. And if your house is anything like mines, they’ll be gone before you have time to hang up your apron.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 lemons, juiced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green.

After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

You could also whisk up some whipping cream with a dash of vanilla extract to dollop on top of the lemon squares for an added delightful taste. Enjoy!

By Mayuri Jayasinghe