Filed under: Bars / Fruit Based Bars
January 18, 2020

Blueberry Lemon Curd Bars

Tart but sweet in the most special way that only comes from combining blueberries and lemon. The curd is smooth and the shortbread crust is crumbly, thick and lemony!

5 from 5 votes
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Tart but sweet in the most special way that only comes from combining blueberries and lemon. The curd is smooth and the shortbread crust is crumbly, thick and lemony. 

 

 

 

Lemon curd bars turned into Blueberry Curd bars

I’d seen these lemon bars via Melissa Clark awhile ago, and planned to make them with the bags of meyer lemons I had on hand. But then I imagined the blueberry curd on top and… ooof. Wouldn’t that be a recipe worth developing?

So here we are. I used Liren’s method of cooking the berries in lemon juice to extract the blueberry juice, and then adjusted Clark’s recipe . AND GUYS, THESE ARE DIVINE!!!

The bars are both tart from the lemons and sweet from the blueberries. Somehow you get both without one taste overpowering the other. The crust (nice and thiccc) is a wonderful lemony shortbread vehicle. I’m obsessed!

 

Notes and tips to make Blueberry Lemon Bars

  • To ensure your curd sets after baking, make sure to bring the curd to a boil and then let it boil for just 30-45 seconds afterwards.
  • I didn’t add zest to keep a smooth texture but if you would like to add some to the curd, go for it! Definitely don’t skip it in the crust though – it’s amazing.
  • These are easiest to cut once they have been in the freezer for a bit. They even taste good straight from the freezer because the curd doesn’t freeze.
  • If you’d like to, you can use a 50/50 mixture of butter and olive oil in the curd instead of all butter.

Recipe for Blueberry Lemon Bars

 



Blueberry Lemon Curd Bars

Tart but sweet in the most special way that only comes from combining blueberries and lemon. The curd is smooth and the shortbread crust is crumbly, thick and lemony!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
5 from 5 votes

Ingredients

Thick Lemon Shortbread Crust

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes

Blueberry Lemon Curd Filling

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method

  • Preheat oven to 325 F. Line an 8×8 inch square pan with parchment paper to form a sling on each side.
  • In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients for the crust and whisk together.
  • Using a pastry knife, cut in the butter until it becomes pea sized. Use your hands to smooth the rest of the butter into the dough until crumbly and all flour is coated (alternatively, pulse all ingredients in a food processor).
  • Press crust dough into the bottom of the pan and bake it for 30 minutes, until crust is golden.

While crust is baking, make the filling:

  • In a pot, cook blueberries and lemon juice on medium until berries soften. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press the blueberries to release their juices.
  • Press the blueberry mix through a fine mesh sieve, scraping the bottom of the sieve to get all the juice. You’ll need ¾ cup of juice to make the curd (no more).
  • Return the blueberry juice to the pot, with the heat off. Once it is cool enough, add the salt, sugar, eggs, yolks, and starch. Whisk to combine.
  • Turn the heat on and add the butter, whisking frequently as butter melts.
  • The curd will thicken after about 5 minutes or more, stir it often as it thickens. Let it come to a boil and then sit for about 30 seconds.
  • Over a bowl place a fine mesh sieve. Pour the curd through the sieve, pressing down to get as much out as possible.
  • When the crust is golden, remove from oven and pour in the curd. Return to the oven.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes until the curd is set.
  • Let the bars cool at room temperature and then place in the fridge.

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26 comments

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Recipe Reviews




  1. 5 stars
    Just made my fourth batch of these, and they are terrific! It gets easier, and turns out better every time I make it! But an excellent dessert, thank you for the recipe!

  2. I am making these now! What do you think about reducing any excess juice quantity until it drops to 3/4 cup?

  3. 5 stars
    Just made these, everything looks nicely set and is ready to chill. I do believe these will be tasty! Needed about 10-15 minutes more on the final bake but came out great. Nice recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    Hi! Love these bars! I was just wondering if you’ve ever tried freezing these for a couple of days and how they last. Thanks!!

  5. Just made this—for some reason my curd only boiled in the oven rather than set. Is there any remedying this? I followed everything by the book—except I was unsure if I was supposed to ONLY use 3/4 cup of the juice from step 7. The “at least” confused me. Any advice helps! 🙂

    • Hi Ashlee! Agh, so sorry it didn’t work out. Yes, only 3/4 cup should be used for the curd (I’ll edit to clarify that further). If that’s how much you used then the issue was probably in the boiling step – it’s a little tricky but it should thicken quite a bit before you remove from the heat. Check my notes up top!

      • I also misunderstood the directions, I thought I needed more than 3/4 cup of blueberry juice and my curd also didn’t set at all. I got it to boil in the pan before and when it was baking but too much liquid. Was thinking of returning it all to the saucepan and adding another egg and more starch, but I may just make it into a runny shortbread dessert haha!

        • Aaghh, so sorry Elizabeth! I’ve tried clarifying the amount needed. You definitely could return it to the saucepan and add some tapioca starch (for corn you’d need to mix it with something cold first and that would just mean more liquid) to thicken it. Alternatively, keep it as a liquid and use it as you would lemon curd – on top of toast or pancakes or french toast.

  6. I am allergic to citrus but love blueberries!! Is there anything I could sub the lemon juice for?

  7. we made these yesterday — what a lovely treat! the color is really stunning, and you’re exactly right – the combo of sweet & tart is perfect. thank you for sharing this!