Raspberry Lemonade Bars Recipe
Sometimes I want a lemon dessert and nothing else will do. That is especially true as the weather gets warmer. For some reason lemon just seems so refreshing when it is hot outside. I have other lemon recipes on the site but these Raspberry Lemonade Bars might just be the best lemon recipe yet! A soft and brownie like lemon bar with fresh raspberries sprinkled inside, with a layer of delicious glaze, these babies are awesome with a capital A! Keep scrolling to see how you can make them.
When I was young lemonade was ALWAYS my go-to drink when we ate out. Add some fresh fruit and you would have thought that I had died and gone to heaven.
Part of that might have been because we didn’t eat out much {normally just on trips} but also because it wasn’t something that my mom made at home.
Honestly, there wasn’t a lot that my mom didn’t make at home. We were SPOILED when it came to being fed. My mom had it going on! In fact, I get my love of lemons from her too!
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How to Make Raspberry Lemonade Bars
The base for this lemonade bar is a whole lot like the Lemon Poppy Seed Bars on this site. The flavor is so delicious but it is really the brownie like texture that takes them to the next level.
Begin by combining the butter, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Combine with a hand held mixer until everything is nicely incorporated.
Look at these fresh raspberries! They are seriously one of my favorite fruits ever.
Can I use Frozen Raspberries for my Raspberry Lemonade Bars?
Yes, you can use frozen raspberries. I would chop them slightly and stir them into the batter frozen. Otherwise, the thawed berries would turn you batter pink.
Add the dry ingredients and combine but do not over mix.
Then add the fresh raspberries and stir by hand. I broke the berries up a bit as I was stirring.
It will create nice chunks of fruit throughout the dessert.
Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 pan that is either sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the sides are slightly browned and the middle is set. Remove and let cool completely.
How to make a Lemon Raspberry Glaze with Raspberry Jam
Once the Raspberry Lemon Bars are cooled, begin making the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and seedless raspberry jam.
The consistency should be thin enough to spread but thick enough to hold up on top of the lemon bars.
Pour glaze on top of the bars and spread out into a thin layer. Let the glaze sit long enough to set up.
If you lined the pan with parchment paper you can remove the bars from the pan and cut them. Otherwise, just cut them right in the pan itself.
5 Tips for Making the BEST Raspberry Lemonade Bars
- Zest the entire lemon before cutting the lemon in half for the juice. You will need juice and zest for both the batter and the glaze but doing it once is much easier.
- Don’t over mix the batter after you have added the fruit. You want to break them up slightly but you still want chunks in the batter, so do not over mix.
- Don’t over bake the Raspberry Lemonade Bars. To keep the brownie like texture {which make these bars} don’t over bake and dry them out.
- Completely cool the bars before adding the glaze. If you add the glaze before the bars are cooled then the glaze will just melt into the bars and you won’t get the nice glaze on top.
- Let the glaze set up before cutting the bars. If you try to cut the bars before the glaze has set up then they don’t cut as nicely and the glaze will run.
What you end up with is this totally amazing lemon bar that is super soft and loaded with fresh raspberries. Then the thin layer of icing tops them off in the perfect way.
The brownie like texture is my favorite part but the combination of flavors and textures isn’t bad either. I can’t say enough good things about these babies. Make them for yourself and you will see why.
Do you love lemon desserts? Try these recipes…
- Lemon Bundt Pound Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
- No Bake Lemon Cheesecake {made with only 5 Ingredients}
- Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Bars
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Raspberry Lemonade Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter {softened}
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- zest 1/2 lemon
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4-1 cup fresh raspberries
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- zest 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8x8 square pan by spraying it with non-stick spray {or lining it with parchment paper}. In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, salt and zest. You can mix it by hand but I used a hand mixer. Add flour and mix until just combined. Then add fresh raspberries and stir in by hand. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for around 25 minutes or until edges are brown the middle is set. Do not over bake, you want the texture to be like that of a brownie. Let it cool.
- While the lemon bars are cooling, combine the glaze ingredients and whisk them together. Pour it over the cooled bars and spread out into an even layer over the top. Let the glaze set up for at least 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator in an air tight container.