Lemon Thyme Bars

I know this one sounds kind of weird and I was scared to try it but I decided to do it anyway. My sister and I just planted an herb garden full of basil, thyme, sage, parsley, dill, and cilantro. We knew what we could use all those herbs for but I never really used thyme before. When I saw this recipe on Food Network I figured why not!? It tastes SO fresh and yummy!!

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing dish
• Flour, for dusting dish

Bars

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, I used regular kosher salt
  
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice-- fresh lemons are best!!
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish, I used a regular dish not glass.

For the bars:

In a small bowl combine flour, thyme and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of butter and powdered sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. I also added lemon zest to give it more lemon flavor. We LOVE lemon in our house. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Using damp fingers, press the dough into the prepared pan. Mine was less of a shortbread type consistency because of the added lemon I used. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Cool for 30 minutes.

Glazw

In a medium bowl use a whisk to combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled crust. Allow the glaze to harden, at room temperature, for at least 1 hour.

Using a metal spatual, remove the crust from the pan. Cut into 1 1/2-inch square bars and arrange on a serving platter or store airtight in a plastic container at room temperature.