Lemon Thyme Bars

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Made these bars for Easter and they were absolutely fabulous! You need to keep in mind that these aren't like traditional lemon bars with that over-the-top sweet pudding in the middle. They are buttery, tart, sweet, with a subtle hint of thyme. The batter is like a shortbread, but when you add the glaze topping, it soaks just a little bit into the bars, making them perfectly moist. I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 glass dish -- same cooking time. I also took another reviewer's suggestion and added about two tablespoons of extra powdered sugar to the glaze recipe (which I also doubled. This change made the glaze thicker and it set in about an hour. Anyone who suggests that lemon and thyme don't go well together doesn't know what they're talking about. It's a classic combination. I can see the under 5 crowd preferring cupcakes over these bars. However, if you don't like these, it's not the recipe. It's your unsophisticated palette.

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I made these exactly as the recipe is written and they were fair. The comments from my guests were that the thyme did not make a good pairing with the lemon for a dessert. Forget the thyme and make them just as lemon squares instead. I am not a novice baker and agree with my guests that the flavors did not go together well. Will not make again.

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Please refrain from reviewing things outside of this recipe! You mess up her rating, which I use to make decisions as to what to make!

Anyways, I made these and they came out AMAZING! My thyme in my herb garden has been sprouting like a weed, so I've been looking for ways to incorporate thyme into everything I make lately.

I didn't make the glaze (not a big fan of glazes, and wanted to cut back on the sugar but the bars themselves were wonderful. I'd recommend this recipe to anyone. Thanks Giada!

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My daughters (5 and 3 idolize Giada and always want me to fix her recipes. So, when they heard we were going to an Easter Egg hunt today, they remembered the Spring Fling episode and begged me to make the Lemon Thyme Bars. I wanted to try them anyway, and it looked easy enough, so I did.

The bars are yummy--my glaze didn't harden, but that didn't bother me. And, it didn't surprise me at all that the girls didn't like the bars (lemon and thyme for a sweet is pretty sophisticated combination. Not sure I'd make them again, but I'm glad I tried them.

Oh--and for those reviewers who said these bars are "more like shortbread," that is exactly how Giada referenced the dough in the episode. She said--"it's basically a shortbread dough..." Having seen the show, I was not at all surprised.

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I have always made traditional lemon bars (check out Paula Deen's recipe but I tried these for a change of pace. Easy, but I agree--they're basically lemon shortbread. I didn't use thyme because my grocery store was out of fresh thyme and I knew my kids (who don't like all the fresh herbs that Giada uses wouldn't like it anyhow.

Oh and by the way, Susanne in New York, I think that's Giada's Aunt Raffy on this episode--not her mom.

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Giada, you are too much into YOURSELF!! Please stop with the acting. We could see right through you!!! And your poor mom, stop making her look like an idiot. Give it up!!!

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I'd just like to comment on the above reviews for anyone attempting to make these delicious bars.

This recipe will not make 16 bars, I ended up with 9, 2" inch long / .5" deep bars.

These are basically lemon shortbread cookies. I added lemon zest for some extra kick, but may try another time adding 1/2 C ricotta and omitting some of the lemon juice.

I would bake them for 25 minutes as when the dough sets outside of the oven it will stay chewy rather than so crisp and breakable.

For the glaze add a tablespoon or more extra confectioners sugar to the juice of half a lemon. I found that the glaze will not set if it is not thick enough to layer over the bars.

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These are SO delicious -- a perfect light end to a meal. I was concerned that it might be too much thyme, but I think the next time I might try increasing it. It was a bit too subtle for my taste. This one is a keeper!

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I made these last night and they were delicious. The flavor was spot on - buttery with a strong thyme note that matched really well with the tangy lemon glaze. I think depending on the type of container you bake these in, you might have to increase baking time. I baked mine for the suggested time and they came out a touch soft, even after cooling, so once I put the glaze on, the bars just soaked it right up w/o a chance for anything to harden. I'm not sure if that's how they're supposed to come out, but I'm guessing not. Still, the flavor was fantastic.

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I made these last night and they are simple and delicious. The flavor is so unique so do not substitute or take anything out. They are perfect the way they are!