Citrus Bars

Sweet and tangy citrus bars adapted from the classic Joan's on Third recipe

My mom makes these great lemon bars from a recipe the L.A. Times adapted from the iconic restaurant and bakery, Joan's on Third. They're the perfect balance of tangy and sweet and have a crumbly, buttery crust. I had a bunch of different fruit on hand, so I adapted the recipe by adding in lots of zest and some orange juice. The result was an even more flavorful bar with tons of complex citrus flavor. I think grapefruit or tangerine would be awesome too, just adjust the amount of sugar depending on how tart or sweet the fruit is.


More Citrus Dessert Recipes:
- Blood Orange Cake
- Tangelo-Orange Sorbet
- Lemon Yogurt Cake


Citrus Bars:

• Stir together 1 1/2 c. flour, 3/4 c. powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt.
• Stir in 12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter until just combined, then pat the dough into an even layer in a 12" x 8" baking dish.*
• Bake the dough in a 350F oven for 15 minutes, or until dough has barely taken  on any color.
• Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, combine 1 1/4 c. sugar and 1 tsp. each lemon zest and orange zest.
• Use your fingers to rub the zest and sugar together until moist.
• Stir in 3 tbsp. flour, a pinch of salt, and 3/4 tsp. baking powder.
• Whisk in 3 large eggs and 1/4 c. each of freshly squeezed lemon juice and orange juice.
• Pour mixture on top of the dough and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, or until just set.
• Let cool to room temperature, then sprinkle with a layer of powdered sugar and cut into bars.

Makes twelve-sixteen bars

*I like to use the bottom of a glass to smooth out the dough into an even layer.