Easy lavender lemon bars are the perfect spring dessert! They have a crisp, buttery crust, and a bright, extra lemony filling with just a hint of lavender. (gluten-free option)
Lemon desserts always remind me of two things, spring and my grandma. The tartness and beautiful yellow color of lemons in sweet desserts are just so fresh and welcoming for spring. And my grandma just loves lemons and lemon desserts. She always makes really good lemon treats, so I always think of her when I make anything lemon.
Why You Need These Lavender Lemon Bars
Lavender and lemon is one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I decided to elevate classic lemon bars with a sophisticated touch of lavender. The crust is the perfect buttery-crisp shortbread texture, and they have just the right filling to crust ratio. They have plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice and bright zest hand-rubbed into the sugar for a delicious sweet-tart filling with just a hint of delicate lavender. These bars are so easy to make with melted butter so there's no stand mixer required!
How To Make Easy Lavender Lemon Bars
Make The Lavender Infused Sugar
- At least a day before you plan to bake, add the sugar and lavender to a jar and close the lid. Shake well to release the natural oils in the lavender.
- Let the flavors mingle overnight.
- Before baking, strain the lavender out through a fine mesh strainer. reserve the buds for garnish, if you'd like.
Make The Easy Shortbread Crust
- Mix 1 cup of the flour with ¼ cup of the lavender sugar.
- Melt the butter and pour it into the flour mixture. Mix well.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a square baking dish lined with parchment.
- Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. The crust should be set, but not browned when it's finished.
While The Curst Bakes, Make The Lemon Filling
- In a bowl, whisk the remaining flour, remaining lavender sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Use your finger to rub the lemon zest into the mixture.
- Add eggs and lemon juice and whisk well for 1 minute, or until the mixture is nice and fluffy.
- Pour into the baked crust (no need to cool) and place back in the oven for 20-15 minutes.
- Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and cutting into bars.
Tips For The Perfect Lemon Bars
- Line your baking dish with parchment for easy removal from the pan and cutting.
- Make sure the bars are completely cooled before adding powdered sugar and cutting. If they're still warm, the sugar will just melt on the top.
- For gluten-free lemon bars, use your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of all purpose flour.
- For a more pronounced lavender flavor, use 2 tablespoon lavender buds in the sugar. For a lighter flavor, use just 1 tablespoon
How To Store Lemon Bars
Store prepared lemon bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintEasy Lavender Lemon Bars
Easy lavender lemon bars are the perfect spring dessert! They have a crisp, buttery crust, and a bright, extra lemony filling with just a hint of lavender. (gluten-free option)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 18 bars (cut diagonally) 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon food grade dried lavender buds
- 1 cup + 2 teaspoon all purpose flour, divided
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- The day before you plan to bake, combine sugar and lavender buds in a jar. Close the lid and shake well. Leave overnight to let the sugar infuse.
- Strain sugar through a mesh strainer to remove lavender. Set aside buds for garnish (optional).
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8" square baking dish with parchment and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the lavender infused sugar and 1 cup of the flour.
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe dish. Pour over flour mixture and stir to combine. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake 12-15 minutes.
- While crust is baking, whisk together remaining 1 cup lavender infused sugar, remaining 2 teaspoon flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and rub it into the sugar mixture with your hands for a more pronounced lemon flavor.
- Add eggs and lemon juice. Whisk well for 1 minute, or until light and fluffy.
- Pour mixture over baked crust (no need to cool). Bake for an additional 21-25 minutes.
- Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with lavender buds (optional). Slice into bars.
Notes
- Line your baking dish with parchment for easy removal from the pan and cutting.
- Make sure the bars are completely cooled before adding powdered sugar and cutting. If they're still warm, the sugar will just melt on the top.
- For gluten-free lemon bars, use your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of all purpose flour.
- For a more pronounced lavender flavor, use 2 tablespoon lavender buds in the sugar. For a lighter flavor, use just 1 tablespoon
- Store leftover lemon bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Keywords: lavender lemon bars, easy lavender lemon bars
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
These look incredible! I love lavender and lemon together!
Kaleigh says
Thanks Julie! It's a great combination!
Kori says
These look and sound incredible! We have Bob's Red Mill GF baking flour, and it is indeed awesome. It makes baking GF a breeze. We just need lemon and lavender, and we'd be all set! It's nice that these remind you of your grandmother. Anything lemon reminds me of my grandfather because he loved it, and my mom always made him a lemon meringue pie for his birthday. <3
Kaleigh says
Yes, the texture of it is awesome!