Found these on
Pinterest. They are SOOO yummy! What a great recipe for the summer months. The original recipe can be
found on the Improv Kitchen Blog, HERE.
Because baking is not my forte, I followed the directions to the
letter. The original recipe did call for
¾ cup sugar, but it was indicated if you preferred the dessert to be more sweet
and less tart – increase the sugar to 1 ½ cups sugar. I compromised and used 1 cup. When I make these again, I think I will
increase it to 1 ¼ cup – as indicated in the recipe below.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
9 T. (1 stick + 1
T.) butter
¼ c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 t. vanilla
extract
pinch of salt
For the filling:
12 oz (heaping 2
c.) frozen raspberries thawed
1 ¼ c. sugar
⅔ c. lemon juice
(about 4 lemons)
2 T. lemon zest (3
lemons worth)
3 egg whites
1 egg
⅔ c. flour
pinch of salt
Optional:
powdered sugar for
dusting on top
Directions:
Preheat oven to
350º F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift the
bars out once they've cooled.
To make the crust:
Cream the butter
and sugar together with an electric mixer, then add in vanilla. Add flour until
just incorporated. Dump dough in baking pan and press with your hands until it
evenly covers the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until slightly
golden brown.
To make the
filling:
Thaw the
raspberries. (If don’t have enough time
for the raspberries to thaw on their own, place in microwave for 1 minute to
soften them up.) Put the raspberries in
a fine mesh sieve and press the berries through (this removes the seeds) into a
large bowl. If you don't mind seeds, you can add them in whole. Or if you don't
have a sieve, you can blend them up in a food processor or blender. Add sugar,
egg whites, egg, lemon juice + zest, flour, and salt to the bowl and stir to
combine. Pour the mixture into the crust (don't worry, it's a very loose
mixture, it will thicken) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes depending on your oven
and the sized baking dish you use.
Let cool to room
temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 4 hours (or until they've
cooled completely). You can place them in the freezer if you need them sooner
but refrigerator is best. If you let them cool overnight, they're even better!
