Hello, everyone!
It’s Spring! That can only mean one thing….it’s time for LEMON BARS. Ok, Spring may be more about the pretty flowers, patios and muddy dogs, but when the lemon desserts come out you know the the warmer weather is finally here.
And these Lemon Raspberry Bars are the perfect way to put a little spring in your step.They’re a twist on the classic lemon bar with fresh raspberries for added zing and a lovely pop of colour. Sitting on top of a shortbread cookie-like crust, they’re a new favourite for the season.
These are also GF and paleo (ish) so if you’re like me and you find most lemon bars too sweet, you’ll enjoy these. They can be made refined-sugar free with coconut sugar (instead of brown sugar), maple syrup & fresh raspberries for added sweetness.
I’ve been wanting to make these since last Fall when I tried an awesome GF lemon bar on my road trip to the Boston area. However when I got home from that trip it was late September and we were already into Pumpkin-everything… and then Christmas desserts followed shortly after. But now that it’s nearly summer again, it’s time to crack out the lemons.
While in Plymouth, Massachusetts, we came across this great bakery called Cupcake Charlies (it’s now a chain, but a good one) and they offer several GF options. I was surprised that one of them was a lemon bar because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a GF lemon bar before in any bakery I’ve came across in my travels.
If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a hardcore chocoholic and I don’t usually opt for lemon over chocolate but I’m glad I tried this because it was super delicious (yep, even without chocolate)
I enjoyed it so much, Billy ended up buying me another for the road 😀 He, too, was surprised that I was drooling so much over a non-chocolate dessert for once haha
I think I’m also going to to try to a version of these with cream cheese as I think that this one was super creamy because of the addition of cream cheese. I like how it cut the sweetness and tartness a little.
Their hot fudge sundae cupcake cup was the bomb, too. I definitely needed another one (or 4) of these as well for the road. Just sayin’…
While we were in Plymouth, we also checked out the town’s museum where I learned about the history of the wedding cake! It was fascinating and I can’t wait to share more with you soon– including some pics and samples of old wedding cake recipes. I’ll be posting about that trip shortly in case you’d like to read about my adventure in that beautiful area.
Now, back these lemon bars and my recipe…
I took quite a bit of experimenting to make these lemon bars as I’m usually not impressed with most paleo lemon desserts that I’ve tried. These aren’t completely paleo as they’re still sweet (thankfully) but not overwhelmingly so. They’ve got brown sugar in them but you can use non-refined sugars (such a coconut sugar) if you’d like instead. They’ve got about half the amount of sugar as you’ll find in a regular lemon bar, but don’t worry–they’re equally delicious.
These are also no-bake (especially if you skip my crust and go with your favourite no-bake cookie crust) which is great for summer when you don’t really want the oven on. I did a few experiments and I much prefer this no-baked version. They’re really creamy and flavorful and you can’t go wrong with the pretty colour either. They just scream ‘Spring’.
I hope you’re having a fabulous spring so far, friends! It’s been a busy one for me as I’m constantly playing catch up while juggling my baking, social media and my new biz but it’s going well. I’ll be away for the next couple of weeks visiting family on the coast, but I’m back early June. Stay tuned for some travel-related posts coming your way.
Have a great LONG weekend, everyone!
Dana xo
Raspberry Lemon Bars
Delicious, creamy Lemon Bars with fresh raspberries on a shortbread-like cookie crust.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar reg, brown or coconut sugar
- 1 cup GF or All-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raspberry puree *
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or flour
- 1/2 cup sugar coconut or brown will work
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
Instructions
Crust Instructions
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Preheat Oven to 325F and line an 8X8 " pan with parchment paper.
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In medium bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Gradually stir in flour, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. The mixture should come together like a cookie dough. Press into the pan and smooth it out with a spatula to the edges and make sure that it is fairly flat/level. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
Lemon Filling Instructions
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In large saucepan mix together raspberry puree, lemon juice and zest, eggs and starch/flour (no need to temper eggs-- I no longer do this and rarely have a problem if I stir constantly). Add sugar and maple syrup and stir over medium-low heat until thick (about 6 minutes). Remove from heat, cover and place in fridge for about 20-30 minutes until cool. Spoon onto the crust (be sure that the crust isn't warm at all) and place in the fridge for several hours--preferably overnight to ensure the bars can be sliced properly. You can speed up the process by placing the bars in the freezer for about an hour and then in the fridge for a couple hours. Enjoy!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats says
These look so yummy Dana! I agree that Spring time means bring on all the lemon desserts! I’m not gluten free, but I bet all the GF peeps out there are loving this recipe! I’ll enjoy it too!! Xoxo
Pies & Prejudice says
Thanks so much Kelly!! I love spring (and summer) for all the lemon and fruity desserts. It’s great that so many recipes can be versatile with a GF flour blend, but you can easily just use AP flour. I’ll be attempting to make a few of yours with my flour mix when I’m settled back home and baking again! I can’t wait to make your lemon sugar cookies! Have a great rest of the week, girl!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
These look super yummy! I like the addition of raspberries to a traditional lemon bar.
Pies & Prejudice says
Thanks so much Amy! I loved the twist of adding raspberries to the lemon bar. Yummy and the colour is beautiful. It’s funny because it tastes just like a lemon bar (with a hint of added sweetness from the berries) but it looks completely different haha!