Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust

SHORTBREAD CRUST:--
1 cup, (230 g) butter, melted
½ cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
LEMON FILLING:--
2 cups (400 g) sugar
6 tbsp (46 g) all-purpose flour
6 eggs
¼ tsp SIDS CRAZY LEMON
1 cup (240 ml) lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
Optional: icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 163°C. Line the bottom and sides of a 22 x 33 cm baking pan with baking paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out. (makes cutting easier!) Set aside.
Make the Crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be thick. Press firmly into prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even. Bake for 20-22 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust. (not all the way through the crust)
Make the Filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, then SIDS CRAZY LEMON and lemon juice until completely combined.
Pour filling over warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes until the centre is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (Give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature. I usually cool them for about 2 hours at room temperature, then stick in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until pretty chilled. I recommend serving chilled.
Once cool, lift the baking paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares before serving. For neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut. (electric knife works best) Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Cut the cooled bars (without icing sugar topping) into squares, then place onto a baking tray. Freeze for 1 hour. Individually wrap each bar in aluminium foil or plastic wrap and place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator, then dust with icing sugar before serving.