Grandma’s Lemon Walnut Bars

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

For the base:
Beat butter, sugar and lemon zest for the base until light and fluffy. Knead in flour. Press into a 12 x 18 inch sheet pan. It will appear like you don’t have enough dough to cover the bottom. Trust me, you do. Best way to do it is to rip the dough into tiny pieces and scatter all over your pan, then use the heel of your hand to press everything together. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

For the filling:
Beat eggs, brown sugar, baking powder, and flour just until combined. Stir in walnuts and dried cranberries (if using). As soon as the base comes out of the oven, spread this mixture over the hot crust.

Bake for another 20 minutes.

For the glaze:
When the filling is finished baking, mix icing sugar with butter and lemon juice. Let cookies cool slightly until they are just warm to the touch. When the cookies are just slightly warm, spread with the glaze and set aside to dry. Once completely dry, cut into squares.

Note: If you add the glaze while the cookies are still hot, it will just melt. You want the end result to remain white on top.

This recipe is great because it makes a 12×18 pan which can be cut into lots of cookies!