These bars came to us via Deb Perelman (aka Smitten Kitchen, because who else?) and her Whole Lemon Bars. The original recipe has several attractive aspects, not least among them being that it takes full advantage of winter citrus and was fairly easy to adapt. Perhaps most importantly, though, the filling and the crust can both be made in the bowl of a food processor, for which anyone who bakes regularly will weep tears of non-dish-doing joy. (Score!) The adapted recipe is gluten free and features grapefruit as the dominant citrus element, which is a wonderful alternative to classic lemon bars. For the crust, this is another fantastic use for our favorite cookie flour blend, as well. It’ll give you a nice sturdy base that won’t crumble before these yummy bars make it to your mouth hole.
For the filling, the original preparation involved pureeing entire slices of lemon, pith and all. We feared that following this technique with grapefruit would render the flavor of the filling too overpowering and bitter. To avoid that (because, ew), this version uses just the juice and zest of the grapefruit, incorporating a little lemon juice to round out the citrus notes without overshadowing the grapefruit flavor of the finished bars.
Oddly, these bars are actually less tart than their traditional counterparts. Go figure. If you’re more of a traditionalist, you can cut the amount of sugar in the filling by 1/2 cup. That’ll give you the mouth-puckering tartness you’re looking for and be just as addictive.
Another handy trick that we love is that if you want to double the recipe, you can bake them in a 9X13 baking dish for slightly thicker bars (Woohoo!) that by our best guess, will last about three seconds longer than a single batch. At least that’s our personal best. Let us know if you fare any better. Enjoy!
Inspired by The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.
- For the crust:
- 125 grams Gluten-Free cookie dough flour (or GF flour of your choice)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 65 grams (⅓ cup) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 stick chilled, unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- For the filling
- ¾ cup fresh grapefruit juice (from 1 medium grapefruit)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- zest of one grapefruit
- 265 grams (1 ⅓ cups) sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
- Place a rack in middle of the oven and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut two 12- inch lengths of parchment paper, and trim each to fit the bottom of an 8- inch square baking pan. Press the first sheet into the bottom and up the sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, running it perpendicular to the first sheet. Lightly butter or spray the exposed parts of parchment. Set the pan aside.
- To make the crust, blend the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, and salt together in the work bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is powdery, but if firmly pinched, will hold together. Turn the dough crumbs into the prepared baking pan and press the dough evenly across the bottom and about ½ inch up the sides. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- To make the filling, pulse grapefruit juice, lemon juice, grapefruit zest, and sugar in the bowl of your food processor. Add the butter and again run the machine until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Add the eggs, cornstarch, and salt and pulse the machine in short bursts until the mixture is evenly combined.
- Pour the grapefruit and lemon mixture over the crust and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set. It should be slightly golden on top and should jiggle slightly when the pan is bumped. Let the pan cool completely on rack or in the fridge. Gently cut around the outside of the parchment paper to make sure no sides have stuck, then gently use the parchment lift the bars onto a cutting board and cut into squares.
- Garnish the bars by dusting with powdered sugar.
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