I know this headline is pretty controversial, but even if you are a PSL-lover and have tried every pumpkin-spice-flavored treat on Thayer, you might find these lemon bars unseasonably refreshing. To make my lemon bars, I ended up settling on a Food52 variation of the ever-classic desert that makes use of ricotta, and when has cheese not made anything infinitely better?
Recipe for lemon ricotta squares:
Crust
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
Filling
- 8oz (1 cup) fresh whole milk Ricotta
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/3cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly butter a baking dish and line with one sheet parchment paper. Butter paper, then lay second sheet crosswise over it. I didn’t have parchment paper handy, so I aggressively buttered the pan and hoped for the best. The pan clean-up wasn’t seamless, but nobody complained about the extra butter.
Mix the flour, confectioner’s sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt, and softened butter until it looks dough-y. A food processor is ideal, but I just did it the old-fashioned way. 
Sprinkle the dough into lined pan and, press firmly with fingers into even layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
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