These are Molly’s orange twist on traditional lemon bars and also an ode to her admiration for all of the sesame found in Korean sweets. Bars are a Midwest dessert staple and Molly loves coming up with new recipes that are riffs on the originals. The orange in these is subtly sweet and the sesame crust makes them sing with nutty, buttery flavor.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 24 bars |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan
- 1 3/4 cups (228 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons orange or mandarin zest
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup/226 grams) cold, unsalted butter, diced
- 1/4 cup (40 grams) toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons orange or mandarin zest plus 3/4 cup (192 grams) freshly squeezed juice
- 6 tablespoons (49 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (64 grams) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- For the crust: Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment to overhang by 2 inches on the long sides.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the flour, granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse to incorporate, leaving pea-sized pieces. Just before the dough comes together, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and pulse once or twice until just combined.
- Turn the dough out into the prepared baking pan. Using your hands, evenly distribute and press the dough to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake until set and just golden around the edges, 23 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- For the filling: While the crust bakes, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the granulated sugar and orange zest and process until the sugar is a pale orange color. Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add the eggs and process until creamy. Add the orange and lemon juices and process until just smooth (don’t over-process and make the mixture too foamy).
- Pour the filling into the baked crust. Bake until the filling is just set, about 20 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely, then refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Use the parchment paper overhang to remove the bars from the pan. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 24 squares.
- The bars will keep for 2 or 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge. (If you are layering them, put parchment between the layers so they don’t stick to each other.)
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 221 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 18 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 67 mg |
| Sodium | 59 mg |
Reviews
I did today, very easy and delicious.
Great flavor and a good balance of crust to filling! Would definitely make again!