Impossibly Good Lemon Bars

Use real ingredients to make this healthy version of the classic Bisquick-based recipe: Impossibly Good Lemon Bars. Kids and adults will love this treat made with a quick DIY-baking mix!

As a young-child-baker, I was mystified by that genre of recipes beginning with “Impossible;” like Impossible Pumpkin Pie, Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie, Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie. Starting at about age 9, my two sisters and I had to make dinner once a week during the summer. We could make whatever we wanted (“within reason,” said Mom;) and I often cooked an “Impossible” dish. Those Bisquick inspired dishes where baking mix – which was mixed up with all the rest of the casserole/pie ingredients – amazingly formed a crust beneath (or on top of) the finished dish.

It was pure magic.

Or a fun April Fool’s Day trick!

Or at the least, pretty cool baking science.

These days, it’s been quite a while since I’ve purchased a box of baking mix. I just don’t tend to make as many casseroles as my Mom did. (Or maybe now that I sorta understand that Bisquick is science instead of magic, the box has less appeal.)

Well, the other day I got a craving for lemon bars. And I seemed to remember they fell into the genere of the “Impossible” recipes. So, I decided it was time to make my own (Bisquick-like) baking mix – which I’ve been wanting to try for a while. I loved the look of this recipe for Homemade Baking Mix – Healthified from Kitchen Simplicity; I adapted it by:

• Using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour
• Using 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup coconut oil.

Several lemon bar recipes were consulted before the following somewhat-healthier (but triple tested after a few #fails!) version emerged. It has a little less sugar and the zest of two whole lemons for lots of zippy lemon flavor. These bars are especially delicious the next day after the crust and the filling impossibly meld together into a totally moist bar.

Impossibly Good Lemon Bars

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• Yield: About 16 bars 1x

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Description

Use real ingredients to make this healthy version of the classic Bisquick-based recipe – and a quick DIY-baking mix: Impossibly Good Lemon Bars. Kids and adults will love this treat!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup baking mix (see recipe link and notes in post above)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking mix (additional)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Grated rind from 2 large lemons (if you don’t want to slightly taste the chewy zest, use less)

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Instructions

1. Grease 9×9-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray; set aside. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Mix the 1 cup baking mix with powdered sugar, cut in the Greek yogurt with a fork or pastry blender until mix resembles course crumbs. Press into baking pan and bake for 10 minutes; don’t overbake. Cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, with a fork, mix together granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking mix, eggs, lemon juice, lemon rind. Pour mixture over slightly cooled baked crust.
4. Return to oven and bake another 25 minutes until set. Loosen edges from pan while warm. Cool completely. Eat same day for a crispy crust. Or if you prefer a moist bar (like me,) store covered in air-tight container overnight.

Have you ever made homemade baking mix – or do you use the boxed version?