Strawberry-Lemonade Bars

Warm afternoons beg for refreshing treats, so on the hottest summer day, I’m reaching for one of these zingy strawberry-lemonade bars. Bright pink strawberry lemon curd tops a crunchy shortbread crust in this dessert bar for a summertime twist on the classic citrus dessert—lemon bars.

Make it simple:
Project baking isn’t most people’s go-to summer activity (who wants to stand over the stove when it’s 90°?), so I’ve streamlined this recipe to make the process as simple and hands-off as possible. Using melted (as opposed to softened) butter cuts down significantly on the crust-making time, while blitzing all the ingredients in the food processor makes the filling assembly a breeze. Some citrus bar recipes pre-cook the filling to thicken it before baking it in the oven, but I found I was able to eliminate that step here and still achieve a perfectly set filling on top of that deliciously crunchy crust.

Recipe tips:
This recipe is truly as simple as it sounds, but there are a few tips that will help along—especially if this is your first time making a citrus bar.

1. Bake that crust to golden brown deliciousness. The crust won’t get any darker during the second bake, so it’s important to make sure it’s truly golden and crisp during the first one. Cooking it to that gorgeous golden brown color ensures you'll get all those rich browned butter flavors as well as a satisfyingly crunchy texture—both of which provide a great contrast to the tangy curd.
2. Use freshly squeezed juice. It’s tempting to reach for a bottle of pre-squeezed stuff when a recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups (!), but I beg you to resist! There’s no substitute for freshly squeezed lemon juice, and you’ll absolutely be able to taste the difference. Make that extra effort. It’s worth it.
3. Bake the filling 'til it wiggles. To avoid over-baking, pull these bars when the center is still just slightly jiggly. In testing, this took me 35 to 37 minutes, depending on the oven I was using; since every oven is different, I recommend starting to check at the 30-minute mark.

Storage:
These bars will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The crust will soften from the filling over time, so if you’re planning to serve them to a crowd, I recommend making them the day of, if possible. If not, the night before is fine too.