Lemon Bar Surprise

SECRET INGREDIENT: zucchini

Lemon bars make a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up with tea. With zucchini stirred right into the lemon mixture, the snack becomes truly extraordinary.

Ingredients

CRUST
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter or margarine

FILLING
• 8 to 10 cups (4 to 5 pounds) peeled, seeded, and cubed zucchini
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

How to make it   1 hour, 25 minutes

• 1

  Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• 2

  For crust, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter or margarine until crumbly. Reserve 3 cups.
• 3

  Pat the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes.
• 4

  For filling, place the zucchini and lemon juice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• 5

  Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes (mixture will be thin). Spoon over the crust, then sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake until golden, 40 to 45 minutes.

One More Notch!

For extra-lemony bars, add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon to the lemon juice and zucchini.