Simple Orange Citrus Bars

I recently had a bunch of friends over, just to help me with some cooking, and to play some games, and have a few laughs; It's always lots of fun. We had pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, and a little Disney Trivia. BTW, I should mention that it was SEVEN of them against just me, and I almost won. They finally beat me with a crazy easy Mary Poppins question, SO unfair, but whatever. I'm not bitter. This is not over.....
 Anyway, I also made these little jewels of orangey deliciousness. They're light and sweet, the crust is flaky, and they're moist and just slightly gooey in the center. And they're SO easy to make. Denny wanted me to call them Outta Sight Orange Bars, going for the alliteration (and a 70s vibe apparently). But no, Dennis, this is not my own recipe, so I'm not the one who gets to name it.
 Make them the next time you want a little picky uppy kind of dessert. (that's a technical term, picky uppy). They're perfect to bring to a BBQ or any casual party.
 Try 'em!


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided 
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 
1 cup butter, melted 
2 cups sugar 
4 large eggs 
1/3 cup orange juice 
zest of one orange
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Lightly greased a 13x9 baking dish, set a side. 
In a large bowl, combine 2c. flour and 1/2c. confectioner sugar. 
Add in butter, stir until crumbly. 
Press mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared baking dish. 
Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 
In another bowl, stir together sugar, eggs, orange juice and zest until well blended. Set aside. 
In a small bowl combine remaining 1/2 cup flour and baking powder and add to sugar mixture. 
Stir to combine. 
Pour onto hot crust and bake another 25 minutes or until set. 
Sprinkle with extra confectioner sugar if desired.



Tips:
I always like orange things to be VERY orangey. So the next time I make these, I would probably add a 1/2 tsp of orange extract.
While I was making them, the first thought I had was "wow, this seems like too much butter for the crust." The amount of butter is probably the reason the crust is so flaky and delicious. I bet you could get away with less butter, which would probably make the crust less flaky and more like a shortbread cookie.