Ironically for how much I bake, I’m actually not a huge dessert lover. Don’t get me wrong, put a warm chocolate chip cookie in front of me and I’ll definitely eat it. But for the most part, I’d rather just have a second plate of whatever was for dinner. The exception to that rule is anything citrusy or floral tasting. This recipe involves both, so count me in!
These are a little different than your typical lemon bar. The citrus flavor is subtled a bit so that it doesn’t overpower the lavender. Also, brown sugar and an egg are added to the crust to make it more of a crumbly cookie-like texture. The result is lemony, buttery, flowery goodness. They are a perfect compliment to the warmer weather we’ve been having recently, and I see them being especially great for the Mother’s Day brunches that are right around the corner. This is totally one of those recipes that makes you look fancier than you really are. Try them out! Here’s how.
LAVENDER LEMON BARS- MAKES 20 BARS
For the Sugar:
3 1/2 cups Sugar
3 tablespoons Dried Lavender (Culinary Grade)
For the Filling:
8 Large Eggs
1 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
3 cups Lavender Sugar
Zest of 2 Lemons
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
Powdered Sugar (for serving)
Dried Lavender (for serving)
For the Crust:
1 Egg
2 sticks of Melted Butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Lavender Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 1/4 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Honey
For the Sugar: Add the dried lavender to your food processor and blend until it is as fine as possible. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending for about 20 seconds with each 1/2 cup. The aim is to get the lavender finely ground to the point to where it becomes one substance with the sugar. Some larger chunks are inevitable, but you want to do your best to get it as smooth as you can. I stress this because the first time I made these I was not careful and figured that leaving a decent amount of full sized lavender buds would just add flavor. Instead, the result was all of the buds rising to the top during baking and forming a weird looking crust-like layer. Learn from my mistakes guys, that’s what I’m here for 😉
For the Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees, line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, and spray the foil with cooking spray. Melt two sticks of butter, and let cool slightly. Whisk the melted butter with vanilla extract and egg until combined. Next, mix in lavender sugar, brown sugar, flour, and salt until it makes a smooth dough. (The dough is slightly buttery/liquidy, this is normal!)
Press the dough into an even layer in your foiled, greased, 9 x 13″ pan. Pop into the oven at 325 for about 30 minutes. Start making the filling while waiting for dough to bake.
When dough is finished baking, remove from oven and drizzle 2 tablespoons of honey on top of the warm crust. Spread into an even coat with a baking spatula.
For the Filling: Zest 2 lemons and juice (about 4-5 lemons) to yield 1 cup of fresh juice. Add in eggs and lavender sugar and whisk until smooth. Sift the flour on top of this mixture, then whisk until combined.
After crust is out of the oven and you’ve spread the honey on top, pour the filling mixture over the warm crust. Slide pan back into oven for another 30 minutes (or until filling has solidified and jiggles slightly).
Remove from oven and let cool. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before slicing to get clean cuts. Sift the powdered sugar on top of the bars, and garnish with some whole buds of dried lavender.
Anddd you’re done! So pretty, right? A couple of extra notes:
- I struggled to find the dried lavender when I was baking these last minute for Easter Sunday. After making a lot of phone calls, I ended up finding it at Fresh Thyme for a really reasonable price. Your best bet is to try whatever organic grocery store you have locally. Or, if you are able to plan ahead, you can buy in bulk on Amazon.
- The little tin plates I served them on are a really fun addition to this wanna-be-fancy-tea-party vibe. I use these a ton, I bought a bunch of them from the dollar store last year! They even have a variety of shapes/sizes. The dollar store is my go-to source for servingware, it’s so nice to not have to feel stressed about getting your plates back after bringing treats to a party. If you don’t end up leaving with these, at least you know you’re only out a buck 🙂
If you decide to test these out, I would love to hear how it goes! Making something with floral flavors will have you looking like the foodie of the party, and these are pretty fuss-free compared to the gorgeous outcome. You will set the bar high for everyone else 😉
Xo Amanda