Earl Grey Lemon Bars

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I have mysteriously and surprisingly hit a reading rut right now. The last three books I have read have been pretty much... terrible! I didn't even finish the last two, they were that bad! I am currently almost finished with the fourth Game of Thrones book, but it seems to be draggggging for ever long. Last night I told Joel "Screw Westeros, I'm ready to go back to Hogwarts!" Because if all else fails, Harry Potter is ALWAYS a good read. 

Luckily both of my book clubs (yes, I'm awesome enough to be in two!) came to the rescue with some awesome choices for this month - The House of Velvet and Glass, and  The Art of Racing in the Rain. Both books have been on my "To Read" list for a while now, so I am really excited to finally get to them! And while I was shopping on Amazon (I really really really really miss having a bookstore in town!!!) I saw that one of my favorite authors, Kate Morton, has a new book coming out! Before I knew what had happened, The Secret Keeper was preordered! YAY! I think I am officially out of my reading rut now, I am so excited! Have you read any awesome books lately?! 

These lemon bars were a huge hit! I took them to a dinner with friends, hoping to bring some home with me. We ended up fighting over them all and I barely got to eat the one I did manage to grab (little voices asking "You? You?" are hard to resist...) These definitely don't taste light, and the combination of just a little bit of Earl Grey with the lemon is perfect! Some lemon bars I feel are too "metallic" tasting, but these are perfectly sweet without being too sweet. Try them today! :) 

Earl Grey Lemon Bars (Cooking Light, June 2012)
Crust:Cooking spray5 3/5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cup) flour1/3 cup powdered sugar1 Earl Grey tea bag1/8 tsp salt8 TBSP chilled butter, cut into pieces
Filling:1/4 cup fresh lemon juice1 Earl Grey tea bag1 cup sugar2 TBSP flour1/2 tsp baking powder2 tsp lemon zest3 eggs1 TBSP powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare crust:Line an 8" square metal baking pan with parchment paper that extends 2" beyond the sides.Coat with cooking spray.In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, 1 tsp tea leaves (keep the rest),  and salt.Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course meal.Press into the bottom of the baking pan.Bake for 19 minutes or until lightly browned.
Prepare filling:Place the lemon juice in a medium microwavable bowl.Microwave the juice on high power for 30 seconds.Add the remaining tea from the open tea bag, plus the second tea bag into the juice; cover and steep for 10 minutes. Combine the sugar, flour, and baking powder in a bowl.To the juice/tea mixture, add the eggs and lemon zest and mix until combined.Add the sugar mixture to the juice mixture and whisk until well combined.
Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling onto the hot crust.Bake for 23 minutes or until set.Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment overhang.Dust with the powdered sugar, cut into 16 bars and enjoy!