Four Important Tips for Baking Success for the “Best Ever” Lemon Brownie Bars
This is what I have learned after making these Lemon Brownie Bars four (4) times this past week.
Be sure to bring butter fully to room temperature. It is imperative to have your butter softened to room temperature as outlined for the second tip.
Mix the ingredients in the order stated in the recipe. The fat in the softened butter coats the flour and sugar then becoming well saturated thus creating a very moist and exceptional crumb. Do not cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs and flour mixture. This will create a too “cakey” texture and drier crumb. Remember, we are after dense and fudgy here.
After blending together the dry ingredients, do not “beat” in the butter, eggs, lemon juice and zest and then continue beating for 2 minutes or more. This is a serious “no-no” and will just cause the batter to become aerated (incorporating air). This will then cause too many air pockets after baking as well as create an undesirable drier crumb. It is essential to “stir” in, by hand (or using the ‘stir’ setting of a stand mixer), the wet ingredients and not aerate the batter. This is how the fudgiest of brownies are mixed, by hand. Again, fudgy is what we are after.
Do not overbake. Just as with chocolate brownies, overbaking will create a dry brownie. Bake for exactly 25 minutes and no longer. Be sure that your oven is properly calibrated or use an oven thermometer to ensure the proper temperature.
- See more at: http://wickedgoodkitchen.com/best-ever-lemon-brownie-bars-gluten-free-option/#sthash.FuJndTix.dpuf