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When you think of Lady Bird Johnson, you may think of her iconic name. Born Claudia Alta Taylor, the first lady was given the nickname “Lady Bird” by a nursemaid. Or, you may think of her environmental initiatives—most notably the Highway Beautification Act—for which she was awarded the Medal of Freedom.
Outside of her impacts as first lady, Lady Bird was also known to be a great cook. She enjoyed collecting family recipes, which often leaned into the Johnsons’ Texas roots. The Johnson family’s recipes have since been published online, in cookbooks, and in the first lady’s own 1970 memoir, “A White House Diary.” Thanks to these sources, we know all about Lady Bird’s signature Cheddar Wafers, the bundt cake that the White House served at her daughter’s wedding reception, and that President Johnson loved chili.
More recently, the LBJ Presidential Library shared Lady Bird’s recipe for Lemon Squares on their Instagram. The first slide in the carousel post shows a black and white photo of the Johnsons, with LBJ seemingly digging into a lemon square in the background. The second slide includes a photocopy of Lady Bird’s typewritten recipe.
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Like some of the best recipes, the instructions are simple and to the point, with ingredients interspersed throughout, depending on what’s required for each step. The result is a delicious spring dessert with the ideal balance of sweetness and tartness.
How to Make Lady Bird Johnson’s Lemon Squares
The former first lady relied on six simple ingredients for this recipe. In fact, you probably have all of them on hand: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, and two lemons.
The recipe starts out by preparing the crust. Mix flour, sugar, and butter until they form a dough. Press the dough into a 9×16-inch baking dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown.
While the crust is in the oven, make the custard by combining flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, and the juice and zest of two lemons. Transfer this filling into the baked crust and return to the oven to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until set. Once cooled, dust the lemon squares with powdered sugar.
That’s it! Simple, right? Bright, zesty, and sweet, these squares may just become your new favorite lemon dessert.
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