A Match Made in Heaven: Rosemary Lemon Bars!

 Rosemary Lemon Bars are a match made in heaven~  tart, sweet, buttery and savory, all in one luscious bite! Perfect for serving for a shower, ladies lunch in spring, summer, or anytime you’re craving a light, lemony dessert!

 I had a surplus of lemons from my citrus centerpiece and our rosemary is now a hedge. I cut some of the pretty blooms for a garnish on each bar before we give it a healthy pruning.

There are just two teaspoons of minced rosemary in the shortbread crust of the bars which you can see flecks of in the photos. A little rosemary goes a long way with this piney-herb but it adds a wonderful savory flavor paired with the sweet and tart lemon of these bars!

A tip when you’re making bars or brownies:  For easy removal from the pan, spray your pan with nonstick spray and line your pan with parchment paper that hangs over the edge of your pan.

The spray will keep your paper in place and from slipping so no batter gets underneath the paper. Parchment is nonstick and you can lift the bars out of the pan using the ends of the paper so you can cut them easily on a flat surface.

Rosemary Lemon Bars

Makes 20 – 24 bars

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients:

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/3 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease pan with butter or nonstick spray.

For the crust:  Mix dry ingredients together then add in cold pieces of butter using pastry cutter to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse all ingredients together until combined and crumbly.)  Sprinkle mixture into prepared pan and press firmly with fingers into even layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides.  Bake crust until edges turn lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.

While crust is baking, mix filling so it’s ready to pour on hot crust.

For the filling: In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add the remaining filling ingredients and whisk until combined.

When the crust is done and still hot, stir to re-blend filling if necessary and pour onto crust. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool completely. For easier cutting chill bars in refrigerator a couple of hours. Dust with powdered sugar before cutting and serving. Garnish bars with small piece of rosemary if desired. Store any leftover bars (ha!) in airtight container in refrigerator.

Tip: When zesting any citrus, only use the colored part of the peel, not the white pith underneath which is bitter.

Print Recipe

Rosemary Lemon Bars

 Rosemary Lemon Bars are a match made in heaven~  tart, sweet, buttery and savory, all in one luscious bite! Makes 20 – 24 bars

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

chill time 2 hours2 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon bars, rosemary

Servings: 24

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting bars
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 - cups sugar
• 2/3 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/3 cup flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper or lightly grease pan with butter or nonstick spray.

For the crust:

• Mix dry ingredients together then add in cold butter using pastry cutter to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse all ingredients together until combined and crumbly.)
• Sprinkle mixture into prepared pan and press firmly with fingers into even layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides.
• Bake crust until edges turn lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• While crust is baking, mix filling so it’s ready to pour on hot crust.

For the filling:

• In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add the filling remaining ingredients and whisk until combined.
• When the crust is done, stir to re-blend filling if necessary and pour onto hot crust.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20-25 minutes.
• Transfer pan to wire rack; cool completely.
• For easier cutting chill bars in refrigerator a couple of hours.
• Dust with powdered sugar before cutting and serving. Garnish with small piece of rosemary if desired.
• Store any leftover bars in airtight container in refrigerator.

Notes

When zesting any citrus, only use the colored part of the peel, not the white pith underneath which is bitter.

If want to stop and smell the rosemary, you can find a 5-ingredient recipe for Rosemary Parmesan Shortbread and cocktail or mocktail, Rosemary Lemonade Fizz, HERE.

Both the Shortbread and the Rosemary Lemonade are perfect for a garden party or enjoying on the patio!

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 Metamorphosis Monday