Raspberry Lemon Bars – These are the best raspberry lemon tart bars ever and you’ll just go crazy over the sweet tart crust! We can’t stop eating these bars!
Oh my gosh. These Raspberry Lemon Bars are so good!!!
I loved the strawberry version so much I just had to do a raspberry. And the tart dough! You guys, it’s like heaven and because you make it in a pan you don’t have to stress about making it all pretty. These raspberry lemon tart bars are my new favorite treat and I’m totally going to force them on you too. You’re welcome.
I am all about bars recipes. Brownies are wonderful, cookies are delicious but I love a good bar.
Key Lime Bars, Peaches N Cream Crumble Bars, raspberry lemon bars… You guys, the list is endless for me, but the real key for me is actually the crust.
No, really. Do you guys ever go to church or neighborhood functions where everyone brings something to share? We do and I always get so excited when I see a big ol’ platter of some delicious bar recipe (actually I especially love when there’s a good salad there. I know, call me crazy but I stinking love salads!) which I very quickly snag onto my plate before running the risk of someone coming along and gathering a pile on their plate.
Come on guys, all of my niceness goes out the window when food is involved. I mean, we all know the type. They saunter on over to the table and before you know it their whole family has picked everything clean. I hate that. I’m such a big believer in taking a little of what you want to try, letting everyone else take a first serving, AND THEN heading back over if you’re still hungry. But again, everyone has to have a chance to get their first serving in.
Back to my point, I get all excited for my yummy dessert and then it happens. Over baked, under sweetened, whatever the problem it totally ruins it for me. But not these Raspberry Lemon Bars, the crust is kind of amazing and seriously got to the point that I was just picking the crust off the bottom because I couldn’t stop eating it. And now, you may do the same.
If you love these, then you have to try these other BAR DESSERTS:
- Scotcheroos Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats
- Mom’s Famous Caramel Brownies
- Lemon Raspberry Bars
- Brookie Bars
- Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispie Treats
- Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
- Snickers Caramel Brownies
- Classic Lemon Bars
- Ritz Reese’s S’more Bars
- Peach Oatmeal Bars
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake Oreo Brownies
- Peanut Butter Caramel Brownies
- Twix Caramelita
Raspberry Lemon Bars
Raspberry Lemon Tart Bars
Description
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 1/2 Cups Flour
- 1 1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Cup Cold, unsalted Butter, cut in small cubes
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
- 3/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
For the Filling
- 1 1/3 Cup Raspberries
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 4 Large Eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 2/3 Cup Lemon Juice
Instructions
For the Crust
- In a small bowl, using a fork whisk together the buttermilk, yolks, and vanilla.
- Set aside.
- In a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt and pulse to combine.
- Scatter the butter around the food processor bowl and then pulse to create little pea sized balls in the flour mixture.
- Get your egg mixture and turn the processor on while pour in the wet ingredients.
- Once the dough begins to come together remove from the food processor onto saran wrap and press into a disc, a few flour crumbs should be visible but just press them into the dough and wrap tightly in the saran wrap.
- Place in the fridge for 1 hour or the freezer for 15-20 minutes. You can also store it in the fridge an entire day ahead of time, but all it to sit out for a few minutes before trying to work with the cold dough.
- Spray an 8x9" pan with nonstick spray and press the dough out evenly to all sides and up a little. Wrap in saran wrap again and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20-25 minutes or until no longer doughy but not golden in color yet.
- Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 325. Make sure you've already made the filling, and quickly proceed.
For the Filling and Assembly
- In a small bowl, gently fold together the raspberries and 1/4 cup sugar.
- Allow to sit while you make the rest of the recipe.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and lemon zest until pale yellow.
- Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.
- Once the crust is baked, quickly scatter the berries around on the crust and pour any remaining juices in with the egg mixture and quickly whisk again.
- Pour over the berries and crust and bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes or until the center does not jiggle. If you make the crust separate and it's cold when you bake it you'll need to increase the baking time a little as that hot bottom wont be there to help cook the filling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Serve once cool or wrap in saran wrap and serve the next day.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Sonja
I wish I would have read these comments before wasting my and money. I’m having the same issues as everyone else; the dough is to this for an 8×8 (didn’t have an 8×9 pan..who does?), the bake time is WAY off. I’ve been baking these much longer than 30 min and they are STILL very jiggly and very brown on top. I am guessing they will end up in the trash. So disappointed!
Jessica Thomas
I never comment on recipes, but there has to be something off in this one, given the others commenting with the same issues. I used a larger pan than recommended (11×7), took the crust up the sides, only used about 2/3 of the dough, and it was STILL super thick and very difficult to cut. I baked for 20 min at 325 and it was liquid. Turned up to 350 and baked another 15-20 minutes before it finally got to only slightly jiggly, but by that point it was very brown on top. The taste is good, but something is off in the directions for sure! I bake for a living, so I was able to follow my instincts and salvage it, but I would tweak some things if I made it again.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much for the feedback Jessica! I’ll take a look. I’m so sorry for the disappointment!
Jodie Huff
I just made these for the first time….my thoughts, I think the directions are hard to follow so read carefully! I have no idea what a 9×8 pan is. I used a 9×9 and pushed the dough up the sides of the pan as directed. This was a waste of time because when I pulled it out of the oven the dough had fallen to one big flat thick bottom. I contemplated a 7 x 11 pan. IF I try them again I will try that size pan. The filling took much longer to set than the directions say. I baked 50 min at 325. All that being said, these taste incredible. I just dislike that they take some much effort to come together and you only get a 9×9 size. With the cost of ingredients they are a spendy treat.
Sweet Basil
Hi Jodie! An 8×8 or 9×9 pan should work fine. A 7×11 inch pan should work fine too. Either way, you’re going to get about the same amount of bars or servings. I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavor and thank you so much for your feedback!
Jodi
I made these twice today from the recipe book, not online. I didn’t have a 9×9 pan, so I did a 9×11 thinking it would be fine, they’d just be a little bit thinner. They are WAY too thick and the filling wouldn’t set. So I decided that maybe there was a typo in the book and I’d make it again in a 9×13. They are still really thick and the filling won’t set. I even mixed the custard extra before pouring it in to get it thicker, thinking maybe I didn’t thicken it enough the time before. Nope. Still super runny. So I cooked them as long as I dare, but the custard looks more like a meringue and the raspberries can’t even be seen. Super disappointed since this is for a party… the first batch still tastes ok, but it’s definitely not a bar. It’s the same thickness as a cake.
Kathy Lindroth
Other lemon bar recipes with similar amount of ingredients use a 9 x 13 pan. I would try again in a 9×13. Filling took a lot longer to get firm in a 9×9 pan but should work better in 9×13.
Matt
The crust is way too thick and the filling is very sugary. We followed the recipe exactly. We wouldn’t try this recipe again.
Sweet Basil
Hi Matt! I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out how you hoped it would. Did you use an 8×9″ pan or a 9×9″?
Matt
we used a 9×9 pan 🙁
Sweet Basil
Hmmmm…I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out!
Bob
The ones with the gram cracker crust pictured above the comments
Bob
The gram cracker crust one that is pictured above the coments
Carl
Gross
Bob
Ok,are these different from the plain
lemon razberrybars?
Please respond
Thank you,bob
Sweet Basil
Hi Bob! I’m not sure what plain lemon razberrybars are, but these are delicious!
Bob
The ones above the comments
Sweet Basil
Yes, they are different.
Brandon Lee
Crust is too thick. It’s all sugar and the filling doesn’t set as it is all liquid.
Sweet Basil
Did you use an 8×8 or 8×9 baking dish? You might try a 9×9 if you thought the list was too thick. It sounds like maybe something was measured improperly for the filling. It should thick and set. Sorry for the frustration and disappointment!
Jean
Too much dough for an 8×9 pan. Anyway, who has one that size? I used an 8×12 and even that was too small for the amount of dough. With all that butter, could have been better if halved, dough might have cooked to less than golden in the time allowed. As a result, no way that dough could have baked in that amount of time. Just too much flour, for one. As for fillings, never, ever have I had I used 4 eggs, 2/3 c. of lemon juice to get that tart lemony flavor. So many things wrong with this recipe. You should be ashamed to call it “easy”.
Claire Stevenson
I absolutely love this recipe, they are my husbands new favorite treat. Made them for an anniversary surprise and he loved it 🙂
Sweet Basil
Oh I love to hear this!! So glad it was a hit! Happy anniversary!
Janet
These look gross and runny=(
Julie
This recepie is not the best… the crust came out way too thick and the filling does not tase that great. It is all sugar. I recommended using a different recepie If you want to make raspberry lemon bars.
Sweet Basil
I’ll be honest, i haven’t heard of anyone not liking it. Are you pushing the filling up the sides per instructions? It would be too thick just on the bottom for sure. You can always use as much as you’d like. 🙂
Brenda
Would you just double the recipe to make it in a 9×13 pan? The small pan is too small for a potluck.
Sweet Basil
Absolutely! We do it all the time
Brittany Audra @ Audra’s Appetite
I haven’t tried lemon with raspberries…always lemon and blueberries! Excited for a new flavor combination 🙂
Sweet Basil
They are so, so good!
Liz
Hey, these bars look A-MAZ-ING!!
Janet jones
They look gross’ bleeegh!
Kari
Janet, what is your problem? No need to be so rude. Just move on if you don’t like something.
Janet
They look gross
Linda
Thanks for your comments. This will safe me time and effort and disappointment.
Janet
They Look disgusting