The Best Meyer Lemon Bars with Blueberries Recipe
It’s the sweet, tangy, buttery combo that makes these Meyer Lemon Bars with Blueberries so special. They are the perfect flavor for spring. With a buttery shortbread crust and a tangy lemon filling, this is the best Meyer Lemon bars with blueberries recipe you will find.
The Meyer lemon is more like a cross between a traditional lemon and a mandarin orange. They tend to be smaller and have a deeper yellow color than a traditional lemon. The rind is thinner and smooth. Meyer lemons are not as acidic in flavor, either. This is what makes them great for a switch-up on the traditional lemon bar. Plus, the rinds have a more intense flavor. This fruit is also more of a seasonal item, usually more readily available from winter into spring. Blueberries are a perfect combination with lemon, and these blueberry lemon bars make a delicious dessert.
What You Need For The Recipe
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar — both Confectioners’ sugar and granulated (white sugar)
- Meyer Lemon —you will want both the zest (1 teaspoon of lemon zest goes in the crust, and 2 teaspoons are used in the lemon filling) and fresh lemon juice. You will need about 6 lemons
- Sea salt
- Unsalted butter — and lots of it!
- Large eggs — both whole eggs and egg yolks
- Cornstarch
- Fresh blueberries
Step-By-Step Guide to Making The Best Meyer Lemon Bars with Blueberries Recipe
- Step 1: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, Meyer lemon zest, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse for approximately 10 seconds until small crumbles of dough form.
- Step 2: Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Step 3: Make the curd while the crust bakes. Whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium pot. Then add the lemon juice, whole eggs, and egg yolks and stir to combine. Place the egg mixture over medium heat and stir occasionally. You want to bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 1 minute.
- Step 4: Remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Stir in the butter and the lemon zest. Do this off the heat.
- Step 5: Remove the crust from the oven. Sprinkle the blueberries over the top of the hot crust. Gently pour the curd over the blueberries. Return to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Step 6: Remove and cool on a rack until room temperature. Remove from the pan before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Tips For Making The Best Meyer Lemon Bars with Blueberries Recipe
Tips 1 — Don’t overboil; it will eventually make the mixture runny again. If this is your first time making curd, it can be a little tricky, but boiling either too long or not enough is almost always the reason this recipe fails to set up.
Tip 2 — You might need to redistribute the blueberries so they are evenly spread across the bars.
Tip 3 — Line the baking sheet with parchment paper, it’s essential if you want to remove the bars easily form the baking dish. It’s best to use a square baking pan.
Tip 4 — Don’t remove from the pan until completely cooled; the curd will not have set, and the crust will be soft, and you will break the bars as you lift it out of the pan.
Tip 5 — Sprinkle the top with a little flaky sea salt for a little salty sweet lemon dessert.
Tip 6 — Use fresh berries; frozen will release too much liquid into the curd, and it will not set up.
You get a fresh, sweet, tangy treat when you combine the Meyer lemon with the fresh blueberries in this blueberry lemon bar recipe. Serve them cold; they do best when stored in the refrigerator. Also, the cooling time is essential; don’t rush these. Try this Meyer Lemon Bars with Blueberries recipe you will love the end result.
Meyer Lemon Bars with Blueberries
Ingredients
Crust
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar plus additional for dusting
- 1 tbsp finely grated Meyer Lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 10 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
Filling
- 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Meyer Lemon juice approximately 6 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp finely grated Meyer Lemon zest
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the over to 325° F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with two pieces of parchment. Allow the parchment to hang over an inch or two; you will use this to remove it from the pan after cooling.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, Meyer lemon zest, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, and pulse for approximately 10 seconds until small crumbles of dough form. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, until light golden brown.
- Make the curd while the crust bakes. Whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium pot. Then add the lemon juice, whole eggs, and egg yolks and stir to combine. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally. You want to bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Don’t overboil; it will eventually make the mixture runny again.
- Remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Stir in the butter and the lemon zest. Do this off the heat.
- Remove the crust from the oven. Sprinkle the blueberries over the top. Gently pour the curd over the blueberries. You might need to redistribute the blueberries so they are evenly spread across the bars. Return to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The blueberries should burst a bit, and the top should turn a golden brown. The center will still be a little loose, but the edges should have set-up. Remover and cool on a rack until room temperature. Remove from the pan before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
