Glazed Citrus Butter Bars

Lemon, lime, orange juice, and zest make this melt-in-your-mouth, tastebud-popping cookie bar. It’s so easy and as pretty as it is delicious!

Some days just call for a bit of sunshine; and if getting it from the great outdoors is out of the question then baking up a batch of these bars will certainly cast a ray or two of sunshine on your kitchen and sunshiney smiles across faces. Usually if I make anything but chocolate chip cookies I get a little push back from my kids.  They will eat other goodies, but they prefer chocolate chip cookies to all other forms of sweet finger foods.  Except for now.  They literally went bonkers for these bars!  My pickiest eater ate four of them before I told him to stop because they were for Kens staff luncheon.

I am all about simplicity these days.  Keep it simple. Keep it simple.  Everyday I find myself saying this over and over again.  One way I’ve chose to keep life simple is by turning my beloved cookie recipes into bars.  They taste the same, but take a fraction of the time.  No going back to the oven five times over and inevitably I always burn the last pan of cookies! Argh nothing worse than wasted cookies!

The hardest thing about these cookie bars is zesting and juicing the fruit.  (Which isn’t really that hard unless you don’t have a zester…well then can I ask you do you have a cheese grater?  There might be a zester side on it.  If not, you’re hosed.  You then need to buy one.  I’m sure they sell them at your grocery store.  Invest.  Invest in the sunshine of your people.  I have one similar to this.  This is not an affiliate thingamabobber, I’m just trying to help you understand what you need.)  You will need the zest of 6 citrus, I used lemons, limes, and oranges.  There will be some juice left over, just drink it!

Is the sun shining for you today?  It is not shining here.  I’m thankful the ground is white with snow, it makes everything seem clean an bright…at least.  Wherever you are, whatever the weather, you need to make these bars soon!

Happy Wednesday, Sheila

Glazed Citrus Butter Bars

Sheila

Buttery and full of citrus, these bars will bring sunshine to your and your palette!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

15 minutes for cooling and making glaze 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course baked goods, Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Servings 48 squares

Calories 150 kcal

Equipment

• zester
• 12×15 sheet pan

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups butter (salted) room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp zest and juice limes
• 2 tbsp zest and juice oranges
• 2 tbsp zest and juice lemons

Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp juice from citrus use more or less, until you achieve the perfect drizzling consistency
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

 

preheat oven to 350°. prepare baking sheet by spraying with non stick baking spray or wiping pan down evenly with shortening

• Beat together sugars and butter, taking time to scrape down sides of the bowl. Add egg yolks one at a time. Add 3 tablespoons of the zest from the lemons/limes/oranges. Mix salt and flour together gradually add to butter mixture. Dough will be crumbly. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons citrus juice while mixing, scrape down sides of bowl making sure that everything is combined.
• Place dough in pan (12×15″ pan, baking sheet type with low rim is what I used), lightly flour hands and then press dough evenly in to all corners of the pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan, then flip bars out on to parchment paper. Lay a sheet of parchment on top, if you have a large cutting board this will work as well, flip the bars out on to parchment paper.

  Let cool 10 minutes longer while you make the glaze.
• Whisk glaze together and drizzle glaze over top of bars, and sprinkle with the remaining citrus zest. Cut into squares, store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1squareCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 16IUCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg

Keyword bars, citrus, cookie, lemon, lime, orange

Tried this recipe?Mention @eat2gather or tag #eat2gather!