I meant to post this recipe a long time ago, I finalized it and made what was supposed to be the photographed version at the height of citrus season when everyone pulled off their citrus fruits before the big Houston freeze. It was going to be a nice treat for our friends that had lost power and water and were staying with us. But then we lost power and water so I couldn’t take pictures and I certainly wasn’t going to get a knife dirty to cut them with no water to wash. So we just broke off pieces and ate it like animals all week but the good news is it tastes that good.

The base recipe I used is Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust from Sally’s Baking Addiction, my favorite and I think the most reliable baking blog out there (with the most gorgeous pictures). This version is a little more savory. If you don’t have black sesame seeds you can use normal sesames but it won’t have the same dramatic visual.

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Ingredients

Shortbread

1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)

4 tablespoons tahini

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups and 2 tablespoons flour

2 heaping tablespoons black sesame seeds

Lemon Filling

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

7 tablespoons all purpose flour

6 large eggs

1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4-10 lemons depending on the lemons)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325
• Melt butter in a measuring cup (30 seconds in the microwave; cover with the butter wrapper to avoid splatter). Add olive oil and tahini. You should end up with a cup of liquid; if you’re short add a little more tahini.
• Pour into a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and add sugar, lemon zest, salt and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
• Add flour and sesame seeds and mix until combined. The dough should basically clean the bowl.
• Press into a 9×13″ pan that has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper that overhangs on the 9″ side. You want to have handles to lift the bars out but don’t want creases and folds in the corners.

• Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned on edges. Remove from oven and poke holes all over with a fork (according to Sally’s Baking Addiction this helps the lemon filling bind to the crust).
• While the shortbread is in the oven sift the flour and sugars into a bowl (if you use the same bowl as for the shortbread that’s one less dish to do later). Add eggs and lemon juice and whisk thoroughly.
• Pour the lemon mixture over the shortbread and return to the oven for 25 minutes or until just set.
• Cool completely before cutting and store in the fridge.