How to Make Lemon-Blueberry Bars

These versatile bars from award-winning pastry chef and cookbook author Hedy Goldsmith are sure to become a mainstay in your baking repertoire.

Related To:

Not Your Average Lemon Bars

Hedy Goldsmith's smooth lemon bars studded with fresh blueberries come with a secret weapon: a buttery blueberry crust. Dehydrated blueberries ground into a fine powder will incorporate perfectly into a standard crust mixture of butter, flour and confectioners' sugar.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Blueberry Bars

Grind Dehydrated Blueberries

Using your food processor, grind 1/2 cup of dehydrated blueberries into a powder (you should have 1/3 cup powder when all is said and done). For assorted dehydrated fruits, Hedy recommends checking online or at Trader Joe's, Fresh Market or Whole Foods Market.

Prepare the Crust

To start, heat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Then, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, blueberry powder, lemon zest, salt and cold butter cubes.

Check the Texture

Pulse several times until a ball starts to form. Place the dough in the buttered dish and press down firmly to form an even bottom crust. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Set aside.

Prepare the Lemon Filling

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Sift the flour and baking powder together, add to the eggs and mix well. Then pour the lemon filling over the crust and scatter the fresh blueberries over the filling.

Bake and Serve

Return to the oven and bake until the filling is set when the pan is jiggled, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares. For a special touch, finish off the bars with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar. They'll keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Hedy Goldsmith is an award-winning pastry chef and the author of Baking Out Loud.