Lavender Lemon Bars with Pistachio Shortbread Crust
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups flour all purpose
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup shelled pistachios chopped
For the Filling
- 2 tbsp culinary lavender buds finely ground
- 4 large lemons zested and juiced
- 3 cups powdered sugar plus more for dusting
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup flour all purpose
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the salt into the flour and set aside. Cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar together with a mixer until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add 2 cups flour and salt and mix until the dough just comes together. Add in the chopped pistachios and mix until evenly incorporated.Dump the dough into a 9x13 glass pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray and lined with parchment. Use your hands to press the dough evenly towards the outer edges of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and immediately pour in the filling and turn the oven to 300.
For the Filling
- Finely grind the whole lavender buds then whisk them into the powdered sugar. Add the eggs, 1 cup of flour, lemon juice and zest, vanilla and salt. Whisk the filling until smooth then pour over the crust immediately when it comes out of the oven. Turn the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Place the lemon bars immediately back into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. If they are not totally set at 25 minutes, bake one or two minutes longer. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Remove the entire bar from the pan by pulling it out by the parchment paper and placing it onto a cutting board. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar.