This bar is your perfect relationship between a lemon bar, key lime tart, and a raspberry cobbler. The shortbread crust is the perfect base for the creamy lemon and raspberry topping. These keep really well so if you make them and serve them a couple days later, you'll still be fine.
I found myself wanting to justify why these should be eaten morning, noon, and night. There's fruit in there, right? And cream cheese for some calcium, and shortbread crust with butter for well, more dairy and carbs.
No matter how stuffed you may be after a barbecue there is always room for these...
I found this recipe because my Mom tore it out of a Better Homes and Gardens and said, "don't these look good?" That was all I needed to know I should make them for Fathers Day weekend when we'd all be together. Good eye, Ma. These turned out great and might just be competing with my love of lemon bars.
The recipe calls for lining the 9x13 with aluminum foil. I ran out so buttered and floured by pan which was fine but next time I'll go the aluminum foil route so they're all the more easy to get out of the pan and into my mouth.
Recipe thanks to and loosely modified from Scott Peacock's
{Ingredients You'll Need for the Crust}
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) cut into 1 inch chunks and softened. plus more to brush around the edges of the aluminum after you bake the crust (if you're using it)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
{Ingredients for the Topping}
- 3/4 cup seedless strawberry preserves (or raspberry if you have that)
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour your 9x13 or line it with aluminum foil, allowing some to come over the edges as you'll lift the bars up at the end to cut them. In a mixer beat the butter just about 30 seconds.
2. Add brown sugar and salt and beat until incorporated. With mixer off add in the flour then beat on low until blended then increase the speed so that it makes a nice crumbly dough. Break dough into pieces and place in the bottom of your prepared 9x13, pushing it together with your fingertips. Bake for 20 minutes until just golden then let to cool for 5 minutes.
3. If you're using aluminum foil brush it with butter so it will keep from sticking around the edges. Now add on your jam and spread it out evenly then sprinkle with the raspberries.
4. In a mixer beat the cream cheese for about 30 seconds then add in the sugar and flour until blended. With the mixer running add your eggs, lemon zest, juice, and vanilla. Mix it all until smooth. Pour over the raspberries and tilt the pan just a bit so it goes throughout the bars.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until set. Cool for an hour at room temperature then place in the fridge to cool for 2 hours. When you're ready to enjoy them either cut them straight out of the pan or lift them out with the aluminum foil and cut them up from there.
I think I'm making these again this week. They're too good not to make again and again.
LB - these look AWESOME. Once it gets back under 100 degrees here and I can bear to turn on my oven, I'm making these!!
ReplyDeletethey have your name written all over them! they might need to reappear in september too!
ReplyDeleteYESSS!!!
ReplyDelete