A twist on the classic lemon bars, these Blood Orange Bars are light, sweet, and refreshing. Dusted with powdered sugar, they come together with the perfect touch.
Before working on the filling, we’ll make the light shortbread crust by combining flour, powdered sugar, salt, and melted butter until the dough comes together. Drop that into the greased and lined 8″x8″ pan and press down so it’s in a flat, even layer.
While the crust is in the oven at 350° F, whisk together the 3 eggs until fully combined. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and blood orange zest until the zest is mixed throughout and the mixture is fragrant and tinted light orange. Add the eggs, blood orange juice, and flour to the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.
When the crust is done, pour the filling on top and return to the oven at 325° F. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, check to see if the filling is set by tapping the pan with an oven mitt. The center should not jiggle. If it’s not completely set, bake for an additional 5 minutes and check again. Repeat until the bars are set.
Let the Blood Orange Bars cool on the counter and then move to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. When ready to enjoy, dust with powdered sugar, cut, and serve.
Some ingredients notes
Blood oranges – freshly squeezed and zest blood oranges add so much to this recipe! It’s much easier to zest the blood oranges before juicing.
Tips
- When pressing the dough down into the pan, I like to press down on it with a glass or a measuring cup that has a flat bottom to make sure the crust is even.
- After baking the bars with the filling for 20 minutes, check to see if the bars are done by tapping the pan with your oven mitt. If the center is still liquidy and jiggles, return to the oven and check back and repeat every 5 minutes until the center is set.
- Make sure to let the bars cool both on the counter and in the refrigerator.
Blood Orange Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 9 large or 16 medium bars 1x
Description
A twist on the classic lemon bars, these Blood Orange Bars are light, sweet, and refreshing.
Ingredients
The Crust
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar (plus some additional for dusting if desired)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
The Blood Orange Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice
Instructions
- Grease and line a 8″x8″ baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and combine with a silicone spatula until the dough forms.
- Add the dough into the lined pan and press down into a flat, even layer. Poke a few holes into the dough with a fork, then bake for 20 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, add the sugar and zest in a large bowl and mix with your fingers until the mixture is fragrant, tinted, and the zest is combined throughout.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs until fully mixed. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture along with the flour and blood orange juice. Mix until fully combined.
- When the crust is done baking, pour the filling onto the crust. Reduce the oven to 325° F and place the pan back into the oven. After 20 minutes, check to see if the bars are done by tapping the pan with your oven mitt. If the center is still liquidy and jiggles, put back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Repeat until the center is set.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Then, move to the refrigerator to cool completely for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove the bars from the pan, dust with powdered sugar (if desired), cut, and serve.