Hi friends! It’s me, Amber, from Dessert Now, Dinner Later! I am back and ready to share a fun springtime lemon curd bars recipe for dessert with you all today! Since you are still getting to know me, I have to tell you something you need to know… I have a citrus addiction! I go crazy over limes, but I enjoy lemons, oranges, and grapefruits just the same! If you head to my site, you will find recipes like: Blueberry Bread Pudding with Lemon Glaze, Frozen Coconut Limeade, or Blonde Orange Brownies. And that’s just a tiny sampling of all the citrus treats I have. I LOVE CITRUS!!!
Today’s recipe is a new favorite! Have you ever made lemon curd? It’s great for lemon meringue pies, to spread on toast, or use in parfaits. It’s 5 ingredients and cooks up in 15 minutes or less. I could eat it with a spoon! Lemon curd is perfectly sweet and tangy, creamy and smooth! I just love it!
So this recipe takes that lemon curd and puts it in between a shortbread crust and crumb topping. The crumb topping uses the crust mixture plus toasted almonds and coconut flakes, so this bar is tropical too!
You are going to love these Lemon Curd Bars, I just know it! You might not want to share either because they are that good! What springtime flavors make your tastebuds happy?
Is Lemon Curd and Lemon Pudding the Same Thing?
Lemon curd is similar to lemon pudding but the texture is smoother and the flavor more intense.
Lemon Pudding is thickened with flour or cornstarch while lemon curd uses egg yolks and natural pectin in the zest and juice of the lemon.
Can Lemon Bars Be Frozen?
Yes, lemon bars can be frozen.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
Does Lemon Juice Contain Vitamins?
Aquarter cup of lemon juice contains 31 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and 3 percent of folate and 2 percent of potassium.
Lemon Curd Bars
Lemon Curd Bars
Ingredients
Lemon Curd:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, cut up into cubes
- 3 eggs
Crust & Topping:
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted
Instructions
- Prepare curd by whisking the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter cubes in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (Use number 4 out of 10 on your stovetop dial).
- Once butter is melted, whisk in eggs, one at a time, incorporating thoroughly.
- Whisk CONSTANTLY until the mixture thickens and bubbles start to come to the surface; about 15 minutes. (*You must whisk the entire time, or the eggs might curdle and cook separately from the curd. If you are extra worried about it, just use the egg yolks instead of the whole egg, but if you are whisking the entire time, you should be fine.)
- Once the curd is thick and starting to boil, remove the pan from the heat, and let the curd cool slightly in the refrigerator until ready to use. (It thickens more as it cools.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
- Set aside 1 cup of mixture for the topping; press remaining mixture onto the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9" baking dish.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
- Cool for 10 minutes.
- Spread lemon curd over crust.
- In a small bowl, combine the coconut, toasted almonds and reserved topping mixture.
- Sprinkle over lemon curd.
- Bake for an additional 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut into bars.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- These taste the best after they have been chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Lemon Curd Recipe from AllRecipes, and re-written with notes from experience.
Bar recipe lightly altered from Taste of Home.
Want more citrus desserts?
Coconut Key Lime Bars || Lemon Sticky Rolls
Lemon Berry Napoleon || Blackberry Lime Bars
Thanks for reading!
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Hey Carrian, I’ve made these several times and are delicious. But I’m wondering if you can freeze them? Have you tried? I wanted to make them for Christmas and was thinking I could make them ahead of time. Any thought?
Unfortunately we haven’t had success freezing them because of the water that collects when freezing. 🙁
If you add a little of the first hot ingredients to the beaten eggs they will not curdle. Then add the egg/lemon mixture to the rest of the hot mixture.
Pingback: Tropical Lemon Curd Bars | Tide and Thyme
These look so lovely and light! Pinned for later 🙂
These look so good – lemon curd is my favorite dessert component ever!!
mine too!
I just found your site today, and being that I am slightly citrus-obsessed, I think I’ll stay awhile.
This past week I read an article on the ’18 grossest ingredients in your food, and I am starting to weed a few things out of my admittedly poor diet. They are: Castoreum (unlisted on ingredients lists because the FDA considers it “natural flavoring”) and Carmine, a major source of red coloring. I was pleased to see that although a raspberry recipe popped up in the middle of the e recipe above, it contained only organics and I’m on my way to check if organics allow the above ingredients. I would still like to be able to eat certain “treats” but will now be making them myself, and that will cut down on the frequency of such if not the quantity! Thanks for all the effort you are expending to share these wonderful sounding recipes! I look forward to being a loyal reader.
Thanks! I hope it works out for ya!
This looks so delicious… great refreshing dessert with the prefect crunchiness from the almonds YUM!
Thanks Roxy! They are a delicious combo indeed!
Um, so yeah… I made these tonight and they are AMAZING! I made lemon curd this week for a couple of recipes that I posted as well. What are the odds that I would have just enough leftover for this? I’m so happy that I did – this was the perfect way to use it up. Thanks for the awesome recipe Amber!!! This is a keeper recipe for sure and I’ll definitely make them again and again.
Yay!! Way to go Amber!
Yay! So glad you liked them Yvonne 🙂
Sounds great and your pictures are amazing!
She did such a great job!
You’re so sweet Kathleen! Thank you!
These look wonderful, I just adore lemon bars, this is a whole new level.
These look wonderful, I love anything lemon, love the crunchy topping.
Besides the lemon curd, the topping was my favorite part 🙂
Lemon bars are on of my favorites. Love the addition of almonds on top.
lemon is just the best out there!
I love lemon desserts! And these bars look incredible with that coconut almond topping!
Thanks Ashley! It was yummy!
Looks so good Amber! Perfect for spring!
Thank you Nicole! Citrus desserts are my absolute favorite for Spring 🙂