Raspberry Lemon Bars Recipe
These Raspberry Lemon Bars are perfectly balanced between the sweet and tart flavors. The lemon is strong but doesn't overpaid the raspberry. Each bite is bursting with delicious flavor on top of a buttery shortbread crust!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Lemon, zest only
- 1 cup Salted Butter, softened to room temp
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
Raspberry Lemon Filling
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Lemons, zest and juice
- 3 large Eggs
- 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Raspberry Jam, seedless
- 3 tbsp Powdered Sugar, optional, for topping
- 16 Fresh Raspberries , optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- First, start by making the shortbread crust
- To a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar and zest of 1 lemon
- Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers to release the oil of the zest
- Add the salted butter and vanilla extract
- Use a hand mixer to combine until smooth and creamy
- Add the flour and mix again until just combined. The dough will be thick
- Transfer the dough to a square, 8x8 metal pan that is greased and lined with parchment paper
- Press the dough into a flat, even layer
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden and a toothpick comes out of the center clean
- While the shortbread crust bakes, gather and measure out the ingredients for the raspberry lemon filling
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
- While the crust cools, let's make the filling
- To a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar and zest of 2 lemons
- Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers to release the oil of the zest
- Add the eggs and a 1/2 cup of lemon juice from the 2 lemons
- Whisk until combined
- Next, add the flour and raspberry jam
- (Note: if the raspberry jam has seeds, use a mesh sieve to remove the sides from the jam prior to adding into the batter)
- Whisk again until combined
- Pour the filling mixture into the pan over the slightly cooled shortbread crust
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 33-37 minutes
- Remove from the oven when the edges have a slightly golden color and there is no jiggle in the center
- Let the bars sit at room temperature for 2 hours to cool in the pan
- Put the pan in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours
- When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature
- Use the parchment paper to easily remove the bars from the pan (loosen any edges/corners as needed with a knife)
- Slice the bars and (optional) top with a dusting of powdered sugar (Make sure to add the powdered sugar when the bars are at room temperature or it will melt)
- (Optional) Top each bar with a fresh raspberry
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 245kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 85mg, Potassium: 56mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 319IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg