Lemon Blueberry Bars

These flavorful Lemon Blueberry Bars are made with fresh blueberries, lemon, and vanilla and finished with a thick layer of icing. They bake up moist and dense, similar to a blondie, packed with light and fresh flavors.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 251kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Bars:

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour divided
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar packed
finely grated zest of one medium-sized lemon
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

Icing:

1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk plus more, if needed
finely grated zest of half medium-sized lemon
⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Bars:

Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment and lightly grease. Set aside.
Combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, along with the baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter and both sugars for one full minute. Add lemon zest, juice, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking until well combined. Tap the whisk on the side of the bowl to remove all the excess batter, then remove the whisk from the bowl. Add the flour mixture and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
Toss the blueberies with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Add to the batter and gently stir until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 24-28 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and a toothpick insterted into the center comes out without raw batter on it. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:

Whisk all ingredients until smooth. You can easily adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin. Pour the icing over the cooled bars and spread into an even layer. Place in the refrigerator to firm up, about an hour or so.

Notes

Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature.

Tips:

You'll need two medium-sized lemons for this recipe. That should provide enough juice and zest for both the bars and the icing.
Use a fine grater (like a Microplane) or zester to remove the zest from the lemons. Only remove the yellow part of the skin, not the white pith.
This recipe should be made with fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries will add too much moisture and make the bars soggy.
Prefer less icing? Half the icing portion of the recipe and drizzle it on the bars.

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