Raspberry Lemonade Bars

I hope you enjoyed celebrating the great freedoms we have in the USA! We had a blast with friends and family on July 4th - complete with delicious food and sparkling fireworks. The raspberry lemonade bars I made were the perfect patriotic combination with some blueberries for a red, white, and blue treat. But you don't need to reserve these for Independence Day... they are great all summer long! Sweet, a little tart, and very refreshing.

Raspberry Lemonade Bars
for the crust...
2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the raspberry lemonade layer...
3 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
3 tablespoons lemon zest (zest from about 4 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed
6 egg whites
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (it will take you about 8 lemons)

Powdered sugar and fresh raspberries for garnish

Make the crust...
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Slowly add the flour and salt, mixing until blended. Place the dough in the prepared baking pan, spreading the dough evenly over the bottom. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Prepare the raspberry lemonade layer...
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, lemon zest, and salt. Add the eggs and egg whites and mix (I continued using my electric mixer to do all of the work here). Press the frozen raspberries through a fine mesh sieve, pressing through with a spatula or spoon to get as much juice and pulp through the sieve as possible. Add the raspberry puree (discarding the seeds left behind in the sieve) to the bowl. Also add the lemon juice and blend.

Pour the raspberry lemonade mixture over the prepared crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles when gently shaken. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Remove the raspberry lemonade bars from the baking pan by carefully lifting the parchment paper. Place on a large cutting board and cut into squares. (I also like to cut the squares in half diagonally to form small triangle pieces). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with a fresh raspberry. Enjoy!!

Store covered in the refrigerator.



recipe from Annies-Eats.com