LEMON LAVENDER LOVELINESS

There's something about citrus in wintertime.  And for me, there's something about lavender allthetime.

Combining the two felt like a natural step.

LOVELY LAVENDER LEMON BARS

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp dried lavender flowers
1/8 tsp salt

Filling:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 heaping tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  To prepare crust: in a bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and lavender flowers; mix well.

Then, slowly work in chunks of room-temperature butter.  I like to use my hands for this.  It will be crumbly, but that's OK.

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and pour in the crumbles.  Smush them evenly with fingertips into the bottom of the pan, forming one solid flat mass.  Pop in the oven and bake until just golden, about 13-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling.  Whisk eggs in a bowl, then slowly add in the sugar, flour, and cornstarch.  Whisk thoroughly, as the flour and cornstarch may try to get clumpy.

Last, stir in the lemon juice

and lemon zest.

Look at all the spent lemons!

When the crust has finished its first round of baking, remove from oven and press lightly with a spatula to flatten any air bubbles.  Then you can pour your lemon mixture over the crust, and bake for another 15-17 minutes.

When the bars are finished, pull the pan out of the oven and allow to cool.  Dust with powdered sugar and a few lavender flowers if you like.

The finished product is a tart kick-in-the-pants, gooey, with a soft floral finish!  Perfect with a cup of hot tea.

Eat one, and you'll swear spring is already here.