Chef notes

Can you imagine how popular my lemonade stand would be if I sold these pink lemonade bars on the side? Those kids wouldn’t stand a chance. This recipe takes lemon bars to a whole new level by adding a sweet-tart raspberry purée to the filling. They are just zesty enough to make your lips pucker, and their beautiful saturated pink hue will make everyone ooh and ahh. Each layer of these lemon bars can be mixed in the bowl of a food processor to make the process extra easy. If you don’t have a food processor, not to worry – grab a few bowls, a spatula and a whisk. Both the crust and filling are easy enough to mix by hand.

The crumbly crust resembles a soft shortbread and is made with just four ingredients — butter, flour, granulated sugar and salt. Quickly pulse the ingredients together in the machine, press into a pan, and bake for just a few minutes until set. Blitz fresh raspberries (once again in the food processor) and mix those with fresh lemon zest and juice, eggs, sugar and salt for the filling. It also gets a few tablespoons of flour for structure and baking powder for lift.

Don’t stress if you notice a few cracks on the surface of the bars. You’re just going to cover up any imperfections with powdered sugar anyway. You can keep it traditional by cutting the bars into squares, but I like to cut them into smaller rectangles, just enough for two or three bites. Either way, you’ll feel like a kid again when you bite into these colorful sugar-coated citrus treats.

Technique Tip: If the crust feels sticky as you press it into the pan, coat your hands lightly with flour. This will keep the dough from sticking to your fingers.

Swap Option: Lime zest and juice can be used instead of lemon. You can also swap the raspberries for your favorite berries such as chopped strawberries or blueberries.

Ingredients

Crust

1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

1 cup fresh raspberries
1¼ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus ½ cup fresh juice
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Fulfilled by

Preparation

Make the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. In the bowl of a food processor, add butter, flour, granulated sugar and salt and pulse until crumbly and well combined. Press the mixture into an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan (wash and dry food processor). Bake until just set and beginning to brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.

Make the filling:

Purée raspberries in the food processor until smooth; strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl (you should have 1/3 cup). Return strained purée to the food processor, along with granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, lemon zest and juice to the food processor and pulse until well combined, about 15 seconds. Pour into the crust.

Bake until just set and no longer wobbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Use parchment to lift the bars out of the pan. Dust generously with confectioners’ sugar, then cut into squares. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day.