Pink Lemonade Bars

Between these bars and pancakes, that’s pretty much all I’ve eaten this week. And I’m totally OK with that.

You see, summertime for me goes two ways. Sometimes, it’s super chill and lazy, reminiscent of the sweet freedom of summers when I was in grade school. Other times, it’s insanity. Parties, weddings, work, errands, yada yada yada — all good things, of course, but just a.lot.of.it. And that’s just the stuff we know is coming.

For us, summer has decided to swell right out of the gate — thus why my diet lately has been all carbs, all day long (also, thus, why I spent some time with Rihanna this week). Not a bad trade, though, when pink lemonade bars are involved. But I’m looking forward to the calm side of summer soon. Of course, I’ll be enjoying these bars during that time, too.

My point is, these summers? They go by so fast. And sometimes, we get so caught up in the hectic crazy-times that we forget to enjoy them just as much as the calmer times. And then there are the times when life throws us curveballs and we have to respond to those, too. Such is the case with my blogger friend, Claire of The Realistic Nutritionist, whose kitchen in her brand new home recently caught fire. Thankfully she and her family are safe and sound, but I can’t imagine having to go through that ordeal, especially when I have breakdowns sometimes over stains in my carpeting. Oy.

So in an effort to give her a little more time to breathe and get back on her feet, I’ve written a guest post on her lovely blog with a recipe for these nummy pink lemonade bars, flavored with raspberries and a buttery shortbread crust. Hopefully, Claire and her family can get back to normal life soon and enjoy the summertime. As for the rest of us, I suggest we do the same.

Pink Lemonade Bars

By Stephanie Wise

Servings: 28 bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

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For the crust:

• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• ▢ 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the filling:

• ▢ 1 cup fresh raspberries
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
• ▢ ⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ powdered sugar, for dusting

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Instructions 

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, extending up two sides (for “handles”). Lightly grease bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray.
• In a food processor, combine sugar, lemon zest and salt. Add butter and pulse until crumbly and well combined. Add flour and pulse until a dough forms.
• Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until set and lightly golden on the edges. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
• Puree raspberries in food processor (no need to clean) until liquid. Strain mixture to remove seeds and excess pulp. You should be left with about 1/3 cup raspberry puree.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and lemon juice. Add in about 2 tablespoons raspberry puree and the flour; stir until well combined. Pour filling onto crust and bake until set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan before dusting with powdered sugar and cutting into bars.

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 16mg, Potassium: 18mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 120IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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