These tangy, delicate little bars make an appearance for every Fry/Knievel holiday. Until recently, I was under the impression that they were my mom’s recipe since she makes them for every Fry/Knievel holiday, but no! Lo and behold there was Aunt Rita’s name in the Knievel cookbook. It felt like the time I figured out Scott doesn’t like sunflower seeds. I believed for TEN YEARS that he liked sunflower seeds. Is my marriage a lie? The world is crumbling and now this???? This lemon bar recipe is not the exclusive property of my angel mom????? Anyway, these are so simple it’s almost embarrassing. Nothing fancy, but so delicious. A little dusting of powdered sugar is all you need to make them utterly perfect.

For the crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
• A pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 TBS lemon juice (from the lemons plus more if you need it)
• 2 TBS lemon zest (from two lemons)
• 4 TBS flour
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the flour, shortening, powdered sugar, and salt using a food processor, pastry cutter or fork. Press into a 9×13 and bake for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, zest, extract, and flour together. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven for 20-30 minutes until the edges are just beginning to brown. Cool and dust with powdered sugar for a tangy, puckery treat! Here’s a handy printable! Knievel Lemon Bars