Lemon Squares

These are very easy to make and very delicious. If you have flour, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla as staples in your pantry, the only other ingredients you will have to purchase are a bag of coconut (from the cooking section in your grocery store) and a lemon.

Ingredients for the bottom crust:
- 1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of icing sugar, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 cup of softened (room-temperature) butter

Ingredients for the lemon topping:
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten until foamy
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the coconut, flour, icing sugar and the butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until a crumbly dough is formed.( You can do this step by hand with a wooden spoon if you don't happen to have a food processor). Press the dough firmly into a greased 8-by-8-inch pan. Bake until the edges are just golden, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Pour the egg mixture into the sugar and flour, beating until combined. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and stir well. Pour the filling over the partially-baked crust. Return the pan to oven and bake until the filling is 'set'/firm in the center, about 20 minutes. Cool and then dust with icing sugar, (also known as 'powdered sugar'). Cut into 16 squares. Dust lightly with powdered sugar again before serving.