Blackberries have become a recent favorite and I've been making all kinds of blackberry desserts. First I make a blackberry lemon curd and then I used it to make these terrific Blackberry Lemon Curd Bars. Blackberries and lemons makes a fantastic combination and the creamy curd is great with the shortbread crust. Read on to learn how to make this delicious treat.
How to Make these Delicious Dessert Bars
These bars have two main elements: the blackberry lemon curd and the shortbread crust. While the shortbread is baking in the oven you cook the fruit curd and pour it over the warm shortbread crust.
How to Make the Crust
The crust is very simple to make. Prepare the pan as described in the recipe instructions. The dry ingredients are whisked together and then the melted butter is added. Use a silicone spatula to mix together until there are no bits of white flour left.
Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake until the crust in golden brown. The goal is to bake the crust so that it will stay firm under the curd filling. The curd is added to crust while both are still warm.
Blackberry Lemon Curd Ingredients
Homemade fruit curds are easier to make than you might think. This curd has six (6) ingredients:
- Blackberries - fresh or frozen
- Lemon Juice
- Egg Yolks and Whole Eggs
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
How to Make Blackberry Lemon Curd
I love fruit curds. Strawberry Curd was one of the first recipes I made for my blog. Since then I've added seven more flavors. Prior to making this blackberry lemon curd, I would have said that the Seville Orange Curd was my favorite and before that I would have said Lemon was my favorite. But now I can say that this Blackberry Lemon Curd is my favorite. That is until I make a new favorite.
Blackberry Lemon Curd is very similar to lemon curd, but there is one extra step to remove the seeds from the blackberries.
Making the blackberry curd starts with 8 ounces of fresh blackberries. Puree the blackberries and then strain them through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds. There should be about 3/4 cup of puree. Combine the puree with lemon juice.
Use the temperature to determine when the curd is done. The curd takes about 10 minutes to cook, but the temperature is a better gauge to determine doneness.
In a 3-quart saucepan combine the blackberry-lemon mixture, the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the curd thickens and reaches a temperature of 185-190 degrees F.
Do not attempt to rush this recipe by cooking over a higher temperature and do not leave the saucepan unattended. If you have to walk away remove the pan from the heat.
Baking the Blackberry Lemon Bars
Strain the curd through a medium-coarse strainer into a bowl to catch any of the egg solids. Pour over the warm shortbread crust and bake until the curd is slightly firm and still slightly jiggly in the center.
Cool the bars until they are room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours. I find the bars are easier to cut when the curd is chilled.
When the bars are completely cooled you can dust them with powdered sugar or top them with a swiss meringue. I really like the sweetness of the meringue with the tart blackberry lemon curd filling, but it is completely optional.
I hope you enjoy these bars I know I did.
More Delicious Blackberry Desserts
If you love blackberries like I do here are some are a list of other tempting treats for you to make and bake:
Please leave me a note in the comments below and let me know what you think about this recipe or ask any questions that you have. If you make this recipe I would love to see your pictures and if you post it to Instagram tag me @bakesbybrownsugar and #bakesbybrownsugar.
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Blackberry Lemon Curd Bars
Ingredients
Blackberry Lemon Curd
- 2 cups (227 grams) fresh blackberries
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 (100 grams) whole eggs
- 4 (80 grams) egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter cut into 6 pieces
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (141 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (114 grams) unsalted butter melted
Meringue Topping (Optional)
- 3 (90 grams) egg whites
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with aluminum foil, but taking two pieces of aluminum foil, folding it lengthwise so it is 8 inches wide. Fit one sheet on the bottom of the pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides (overhang will help in removal of baked bars). Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Brush the foil with melted butter.
- Wash the blackberries and process them in a food processor. Pour the pureed berries into a fine mesh strainer and use the back of a large spoon to push the berries through a strainer. You should have about 3/4 cup of seedless blackberry puree.
Make the Shortbread Crust
- Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together until combined. Add the melted butter and combine with the dry ingredients until no specks of flour remain. Press the dough into the pan, and bake until it is golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Remove it from the oven and pour the blackberry lemon curd over the warm crust.
Make the Blackberry Lemon Curd
- While the shortbread is baking, make the fruit curd. Combine 3/4 cup of blackberry puree with 1/2 cup of lemon juice in a 3-quart non-reactive saucepan. Add 1 cup of the sugar and whisk to combine. Taste the mixture and depending on desired sweetness add additional sugar.
- Place the medium bowl with a medium-coarse strainer next to the stove. Add the whole eggs, egg yolks, and butter and place the pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk, until the mixture is slightly thickened and registers 190°F.
- Strain curd through the medium-coarse strainer into the bowl. Pour the warm curd over the warm shortbread crust. Bake for 13 15 minutes until the curd is slightly firm, but still a little jiggly in the center. Remove it from the oven, let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours. The bars are easier to cut if the curd has chilled.
- Cut the bar into 16 bars. Decorate with powdered sugar or a meringue topping, See the recipe below for the meringue topping.
Meringue Topping
- The meringue topping is optional, but a very tasty contrast with the tartness of the blackberry lemon curd.
- Bring water to a boil and then reduce it to medium low heat. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and set over the pan of simmering water. Whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F then immediately put the bowl on the mixer, attach the whisk attachment and whip at medium-high speed until the mixture is cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, about 5-7 minutes.
- Place the meringue in pastry bag with a star or round pastry tip and decorate the tops of the blackberry lemon curd bars.
Toasting the Meringue
- To toast the meringue, take a blow torch and holding it about 2 inches from the meringue topping lightly toast the meringue. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for adjusting the strength of the flame.
Storing the Blackberry Bars
- Store the blackberry bars without the meringue in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week. With the meringue store the bars for up to 3 days because the sugar in the meringue starts to crystallize and the meringue starts to deflate.
Honor Lothamer says
This recipe takes a little work but it’s worth it. My crust turned out super crunchy which I loved. The tartness of the curd balanced the sweetness of the meringue and short crust. Beautiful
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Honor
First of all, thank you for visiting the blog and trying this recipe. Second, thank you for taking the time to write. I love hearing from readers.
I'm so glad you enjoyed these bars. I absolutely love the blackberry lemon curd and I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe.
Cheryl
Winnie says
Just made it and it's gooooood. I reduced the curd to 1 cup of sugar though.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! Do you use this crust in any other recipes?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Suzanne
Thank you so much for the compliment. I don't use this crust, yet, in other recipes. I'm still experimenting with different types of crust for my bar recipes. My Huckleberry Crumb Bars have a crust with baking powder, which I added to make the topping a little softer when you bite into it.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Vanessa
Thank for visiting the blog and asking this question. The bars will keep in the refrigerator without the meringue topping for 1 week. After adding the meringue I recommend eating them within 2 days, as the meringue will start to dry out and lose its pillowy texture.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Suzanne
Thank you for visiting the blog and thank you so much for the compliment.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Vanessa
The bars will last about 1 week in the refrigerator without the meringue topping. Once the meringue is added the bars should be consumed within 2 days.
Mollie says
Hi, I have a question. What’s the difference between white sugar and granulated sugar in the ingredients? I noticed that it calls for 1 1 1/2 cups two times but they have different weight measurements
Mollie says
Sorry, the 1 1/2 cups and 3/4 cup have the same weight measurement
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Mollie
Thanks for letting me know about that mistake. I have made the correction, so the weight measurements are correct for the sugar.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Mollie
White sugar and granulated sugar are the same thing and the two terms are used interchangeably. I have updated the recipe so that it calls for "granulated sugar" for consistency. I have also corrected the weight measurements for the sugar. Thank you for calling that to my attention.
Cat says
I’m making these bars for a family get together on Saturday. I wanted to make the curd ahead of time and then make the actual bars on Friday. Should I warm up the curd on the stove from the fridge before pouring it onto the shortbread crust and putting it in the oven? Thank you!!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Cat
You don't need to warm up the curd if made in advance. Remove the curd from the refrigerator about 1 hour before making the bars to let it come to room temperature. Whisk it before adding it to the baking pan to loosen it up and make it easier to pour into the baking pan. The baking time may vary by a few minutes since the curd is not warm.
Linda Steinberg says
How do you get the brown lines in the meringue? it doesn't say to put in the oven or use a torch.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Linda
This is a great question. Use a small kitchen blow torch to toast the meringue. Hold the torch so the flame is about 2 inches from the meringue. I'm sorry about leaving that information out of the recipe and it has now been added.
Kathy says
I just made this. While the curd was absolutely delicious, my crust was so hard.
Seems to be too much butter (1/2 cup) to the amount of flour?
Did I mess up?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Kathy
Thank you for the feedback. The crust wasn't hard when I originally made the recipe, but I'm going to make the recipe again this week and see what results I get. Please give me a few days to get back to you.
SG Stack says
Looks so delicious!! I have some blackberry curd I already made, so can you tell me how much curd you used for this recipe? Can’t wait to try it.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi SG
The recipe for blackberry curd makes about 2 cups. Let me know if you have any other questions and thank you for trying this recipe.
Jess says
Can the lemon curd and the shortbread crust be made ahead of time and frozen separately for future use, maybe a month ahead ?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jess
Lemon curd can be frozen for up to a year and thawed in the refrigerator. I haven't trying freezing the shortbread dough before so I don't know how well it would do when it was thawed out.
Jen says
Do these get kept in the fridge or stay at room temp once it's all complete? Already did the 2h cool
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jen
The blackberry bars should be stored in the refrigerator. Thank you for asking this question. I will also add the storage information to the recipe card.
Chloe says
Hi there! Planning on making these to bring to a party, do you think they will stay pretty and good if they’re left out at room temperature for a few hours? Let me know thank you!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Chloe
They will be okay at room temperature for a few hours. If you're making them the day before, refrigerate them overnight. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Aubrey says
These were so close to perfect, but I thought they had a metallic taste. I didn’t realize lemon could react with the metal foil. They were so much work to have that taste, and the foil was a pain to remove, even with the butter. I would just SKIP THE FOIL to anyone coming across this recipe, and then they are perfect! 🙂
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Aubrey
Thank you for making my recipe. I'm glad you enjoyed them despite the issue with the foil. I haven't noticed a metallic taste before, but thank you for letting me know about that and the issue with the foil sticking.
A says
So yummy!
Cheryl Norris says
Thank you A!
Bridget Longo says
This tasted great, but I found that the crust was a bit too hard and the curd was a bit too runny. I was hoping these could be eaten with a fork, but the crust was not easy to break through. When eating it with my hands, the curd ended up sliding off the crust. It was a bit of a mess!
I had left this in the oven for at least 5 minutes longer than it was recommended because the curd never really firmed up - it got better after sitting in the fridge but immediately after cutting into it, it was kind of runny again.
I'd try making this again while making some adjustments to hopefully get things to set up a little better.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Bridget
I'm sorry this didn't quite work out. That's unusual about the curd sliding off the crust, I've never had that happen before because the curd usually bonds to the crust. When you made the curd, did you check the temperature when you cooked the curd? I would like to help troubleshoot this before you bake the next batch, if you're willing.