Best Ever Lemon Blueberry Shortbread Bars
Lemon Blueberry Shortbread Bars are bright, zesty, and bursting with flavor! The buttery lemon shortbread crust is topped with a jammy blueberry filling, and finished with an incredible lemon crumble. These delectable bars are sure to be the star at any Spring or Summer party!
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 Servings 1x
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Units
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Lemon Shortbread:
- 12 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 330g all purpose flour
- 210g light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Blueberry Filling:
- 14 ounces frozen blueberries
- 50g white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon Glaze (optional):
- 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, light brown sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- To the flour mixture, add in the melted butter and lemon juice. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything in until it is fully combined. (if the spatula is too difficult, try using your hands!)
- Set the lemon shortbread aside while you make the blueberry jam filling.
- In another large mixing bowl, add the frozen blueberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Gently fold everything together with a rubber spatula.
- Set the blueberries aside for 5 minutes to allow them to macerate and release their juice.
- After the 5 minutes, take 2/3rds of the lemon shortbread dough and place it onto the bottom of your parchment lined baking pan. Use your fingers to press it into an even layer, making sure to take the dough to all sides of the pan so the bottom is completely covered.
- Carefully pour the macerated blueberry filling on top of the crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Now, using your hands, crumble the remaining 1/3rd of the shortbread over top of the blueberries.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the berries are bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
- Carefully remove the lemon blueberry bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before cutting and serving.
- (optional) In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until you have a thick, but pourable glaze. Drizzle over cooled bars and enjoy!
Notes
- Zest the lemon first: It's easier if you zest the lemon before juicing it! That way you can zest a whole lemon instead of half.
- Use frozen blueberries: The amount of cornstarch is equal to the amount of water released from FROZEN blueberries. You don't want to use fresh for this recipe!
- Line the pan with parchment paper: To make the bars easy to lift out of the pan, make sure you line it with parchment paper before baking.
- Bake till bubbly: You'll want the blueberry filling to be bubbly and the top crust to be golden brown, that way you know they're done.
- Cool completely: In order to keep the filling from leaking out all over the place, you need to allow these lemon blueberry bars to cool completely.
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
