Sunny Citrus

Last month I had a giveaway for Baking Basics and Beyond cookbook, that Becca from Cookie Jar Treats won. We decided to pick a recipe and bake it "together". We both scanned the book and quickly settled on a recipe with bright refreshing flavors- Sunny Citrus Bars. Since both our mothers love citrus, we made these for them on Mother's Day. I made a full pan and presented half of them to my mother and the other half to my mother-in-law. It's the perfect tangy treat for sharing. 

Sunny citrus bars are essentially lemon bars with a shortbread crust, but the filling includes tart lemon juice and zest as well and sweet and aromatic orange juice and zest. So rather than a zingy filling, these are a little on the sweet side, especially since they're topped with a powdered sugar glaze after they've baked and cooled. They weren't as orangey as I thought they'd be, nor were they as lemony, but they were a nice balance in between. The filling was a little gooey, the crust a little crunchy. All in all, they were quite good and would satisfy any citrus craving. 

As far as lemon bars go, I think I prefer one with more pucker and these meyer lemon-lime bars are my still my favorite. I did, however, LOVE the shortbread crust and would definitely make that part of the recipe again. In fact I caught myself cutting off the edges of the crust "to make them prettier and more presentable" just so I could nibble on the buttery, crumbly, crunchy base. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Sunny Citrus Bars from Baking Basics and Beyond
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For The Crust: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter

For The Filling: 

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

For The Glaze: 

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 Tablespoons orange juice

Heat oven oven to 350 degrees F. with oven rack in the middle. Lightly spray bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

For The Crust: Mix the flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Press crust evenly in bottom and slightly up sides of baking pan. (Mixture may appear a little dry and crumbly- this is okay.)

Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 

For The Filling: Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs using wire whisk. When smooth, stir in butter, both lemon and orange juice, then stir in both lemon and orange zests. Mix well and pour over the hot crust. 

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set in the center and a knife comes out clean, although it will still be be wet. Cool on a wire cooling rack to room temperature. 

For The Glaze: Combine powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl and beat with a small whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more juice. Spread glaze over cooled bars. Allow glaze to set up then store bars in the refrigerator. 

Head on over to Becca's blog and check out her citrus bars. And while you're there, leave her a note of congratulations, she graduated from high school this past weekend! Congratulations Becca!