Introduction & Inspiration

Get ready for a burst of sunshine in bar form! These Lemon Raspberry Bars are an absolutely delightful combination of flavors and textures. Imagine a buttery, slightly crumbly shortbread crust topped with a smooth, tangy, yet sweet baked filling that perfectly marries the brightness of fresh lemon juice with the vibrant flavor of concentrated raspberry puree.

My inspiration for this recipe comes from a love for classic lemon bars but wanting to add the beautiful flavor and color of raspberries. Reducing the raspberry puree concentrates its flavor and ensures the lemon layer sets up perfectly, creating a truly special treat that balances tart and sweet beautifully.

These bars are perfect for spring gatherings, summer picnics, bake sales, or anytime you want a bright, fruity dessert that’s easy to slice and share. They are incredibly flavorful and always look so pretty! It is a perfect dessert for any occasion.

Nostalgic Appeal / Comfort Factor

Lemon bars are a nostalgic favorite for many, loved for their buttery shortbread crust and intensely tart-sweet lemon topping. Shortbread itself is a comforting classic. Adding raspberry introduces another beloved, familiar fruit flavor often found in jams, pies, and comforting baked goods.

This recipe combines the nostalgic comfort of lemon bars and shortbread with the popular and delightful pairing of lemon and raspberry. It feels both classic and refreshingly modern, offering a sophisticated twist on familiar bar desserts.

They offer a comforting buttery base with an excitingly bright fruit topping, perfect for satisfying sweet cravings. A perfect dessert to share with family and friends.

Homemade Focus

This recipe is a wonderful celebration of homemade baking from start to finish. We’re crafting the shortbread base using a simple melted butter technique, preparing fresh raspberry puree and carefully reducing it to concentrate the flavor, and then making the bright lemon-raspberry topping from scratch.

Making the reduced raspberry puree is a key homemade step that ensures intense flavor without adding too much liquid to the delicate lemon filling. The entire process, while involving a few distinct steps, uses basic techniques to build layers of homemade flavor and texture.

The result is a bar dessert with a depth of flavor and a perfect texture – crisp crust, smooth set topping – that can only be achieved through careful, from-scratch preparation. The homemade taste is incredible.

Flavor Goal

The primary flavor goal is a vibrant explosion of tart lemon and sweet raspberry, perfectly balanced against a rich, buttery shortbread crust. The shortbread should be crisp yet tender, providing a satisfying base.

The lemon-raspberry layer is the star: it should be intensely flavored, leaning towards tart but balanced by the sugar, with clear notes of both fresh lemon and concentrated raspberry. The texture should be smooth, slightly custardy, and fully set after chilling.

The overall experience should be bright, zesty, fruity, buttery, and utterly delicious – a perfect marriage of tart citrus, sweet berry, and rich shortbread. A perfect balance between flavour and texture.

Ingredient Insights

For the Raspberry Puree:

Raspberries (Fresh or Frozen): Provide the core raspberry flavor and color. Reducing the puree concentrates flavor and removes excess water, which is crucial for the filling setting properly.
(No Sugar Added): Note that sugar is added later in the filling, not during puree reduction.

For the Shortbread Base:

All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the crust.
Corn Starch: Helps create a more tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture in the shortbread.
Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
Unsalted Butter (Melted): Using melted butter creates a denser, slightly less crumbly shortbread base compared to using cold, cut-in butter. It’s easy to mix.

For the Lemon Raspberry Layer:

Granulated Sugar: Provides the primary sweetness for the tangy filling.
Corn Starch: Acts as the primary thickener, helping the egg-based filling set into a smooth, sliceable layer during baking.
Large Eggs: Provide richness and structure, and are key to the custard-like set of the topping. Room temperature usually best, though not specified here.
Reduced Raspberry Puree: The concentrated flavor and color element. Ensure it’s cooled before adding to eggs.
Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice*: Provides the essential bright, tart lemon flavor. Fresh juice is crucial for taste. The asterisk likely refers to a note about using fresh juice, which is always recommended.

Essential Equipment

Blender or Food Processor: For making the initial raspberry puree.
Metal Sifter/Fine-Mesh Strainer: Important for removing seeds from the raspberry puree.
Small Saucepan: For reducing the raspberry puree.
9×13 Inch Baking Pan: The specified size for baking the bars.
Parchment Paper: Essential for lining the pan and easily lifting out the bars for cutting.
Mixing Bowls (Medium, Large): For shortbread base and lemon-raspberry filling.
Whisk: For combining filling ingredients smoothly.
Fork: For pricking the baked shortbread base.
Rubber Spatula: Useful for scraping bowls.
Sharp Knife: For clean slicing of the chilled bars.
Measuring Cups & Spoons:

Ingredients

(Metric weights provided first per recipe author’s preference, US Customary estimates in parentheses) Recipe author strongly recommends weighing ingredients in grams for precise results.

Raspberry Puree:

▢ 2 cup raspberries (250 grams), fresh or frozen

Shortbread Base:

▢ 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (281 grams)
▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch
▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
▢ 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams / 2 sticks), melted

Lemon Raspberry Layer:

▢ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
▢ 1/3 cup corn starch (40 grams)
▢ 6 large eggs
▢ 1/4 cup reduced raspberry puree (60 ml), from 2 cups fresh/frozen raspberries
▢ 3/4 cup lemon juice* (180 ml), freshly squeezed

Note: *Freshly squeezed lemon juice is highly recommended for best flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make and Reduce Raspberry Puree:

Add the 2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries to a blender or food processor. Pulse until completely smooth.
Place a metal sifter or fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the puree into the sifter, a little at a time, and use a spatula or spoon to push the puree through, leaving the seeds behind. Discard the seeds. (This step is optional but recommended for a smooth filling).
Add the seedless puree to a small saucepan. Place over low-medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, allowing the excess liquid to evaporate until the puree is much thicker and reduced to about 1/4 to 1/3 cup total volume. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.
Remove the reduced puree from the heat and set it aside to cool completely while you make the base.

2. Make and Bake the Shortbread Base:

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the longer sides for easy lifting later.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon corn starch, and salt.
Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork or spatula until combined. The mixture should be thick and somewhat crumbly but hold together when pressed.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared parchment-lined pan. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to create a firm, even layer. Create a slight lip (about 1/4-1/2 inch high) around the edge of the pan by pressing the dough up the sides; this helps contain the filling.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top looks set and the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden.
While the base bakes, make the filling.
Once baked, remove the pan from the oven. Immediately (while hot), gently prick the top surface of the shortbread all over with a fork. Do not prick all the way through to the bottom, just the very top layer – this helps prevent the base from puffing up too much when the filling is added.

3. Make the Lemon Raspberry Filling:

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 1/3 cup corn starch until no lumps remain.
Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well combined.
Whisk in the cooled, 1/4 cup of reduced raspberry puree.
Carefully whisk in the freshly squeezed lemon juice until the mixture is smooth. It will be quite liquidy.

4. Assemble and Bake the Bars:

Pour the liquid lemon raspberry filling evenly over the warm, pricked shortbread base in the pan.
Carefully return the pan to the oven (still at 325°F / 160°C).
Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the filling looks set and the center doesn’t jiggle excessively when the pan is gently nudged.

5. Cool and Chill Completely:

Remove the pan from the oven. Place it on a wire rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Once at room temperature, cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or foil.
Place the covered pan in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours (or preferably longer, even overnight) until the filling is completely firm and cold. Chilling is essential for clean slicing.

6. Slice and Serve:

When ready to slice, use the parchment paper overhangs to carefully lift the entire slab of bars out of the pan onto a cutting board.
Use a large, sharp knife to cut the slab into squares or rectangles. For the cleanest cuts, wipe the knife blade clean with a damp paper towel after each cut.
Store leftover bars covered in the refrigerator.

Troubleshooting

Raspberry Puree Too Thin/Watery: Didn’t reduce long enough. It needs to visibly thicken and reduce in volume to about 1/4-1/3 cup.
Shortbread Base Too Crumbly: Butter might not have been fully incorporated, or underbaked slightly. Press firmly into pan.
Shortbread Base Too Hard: Overbaked, or packed too densely. Bake just until set and edges lightly golden.
Lemon Filling Not Setting: Undermeasuring cornstarch, underbaking, or possibly puree wasn’t reduced enough (too much liquid). Bake until center is just set (minimal jiggle). Ensure accurate cornstarch measurement. Chilling thoroughly is critical for firmness.
Filling Cracking: Often due to overbaking or cooling too rapidly (less common with this type of bar than cheesecake). Ensure bake time is correct. Cool gradually at room temp before chilling.
Difficult to Cut Cleanly: Bars not chilled sufficiently. Chill for several hours or overnight. Use a sharp knife and wipe between cuts.

Tips and Variations

Reducing Puree: Don’t rush this step. Gentle simmering to thicken concentrates flavor and removes water needed for the filling to set.
Pricking the Base: Gently pricking the hot crust prevents it from puffing up and creating an uneven surface for the filling.
Cooling & Chilling: Absolutely essential! Do not try to cut the bars warm or even fully cooled at room temp. They need to be thoroughly chilled to set firmly for slicing.
Different Berries: Use blackberries or a mixed berry blend instead of raspberries (adjust reduction time/sweetness if needed).
Citrus Zest: Add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon zest to the shortbread base or the lemon filling for extra bright flavor.
Powdered Sugar Dusting: Dust the finished, chilled bars with powdered sugar just before serving for a pretty presentation.
Glaze: Drizzle with a simple lemon glaze (powdered sugar + lemon juice) once chilled.

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

Serve Chilled: These bars are best served cold, straight from the refrigerator.
Dessert Platters: Cut into small squares for dessert platters or parties.
Afternoon Tea or Brunch: A lovely sweet treat alongside tea or coffee.
Picnics and Potlucks: They travel relatively well when kept cool.

Nutritional Information

(Note: Estimated, per bar, assuming 16-20 bars from a 9×13 pan. Variable based on exact size.)

Calories: 250-350
Fat: 12-18g
Saturated Fat: 7-10g
Cholesterol: 60-80mg
Sodium: 50-100mg
Total Carbohydrates: 35-45g
Dietary Fiber: <1g
Sugars: 25-35g
Protein: 3-4g

Bright Lemon Raspberry Bars with Shortbread Crust

Bake these delicious Lemon Raspberry Bars! Featuring a buttery shortbread crust topped with a sweet-tart, baked lemon and raspberry custard-like layer.

Author: Grace