Gluten-free lavender lemon bars are the perfect spring dessert! They have a crisp, buttery crust, extra lemony filling, and just a hint of lavender. (gluten-free)
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Lemon desserts always remind me of two things, spring and my grandma.
The tartness and beautiful yellow color of lemons in sweet desserts is 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.
One of my favorite lemon desserts is a classic lemon bar. I’m a sucker for the buttery shortbread crust with a sweet-tart filling. It’s a timeless dessert that will never go out of style for me. I decided to elevate classic lemon bars just a bit for spring with lavender.
Lavender and lemon is one of my favorite flavor combinations. The fresh tartness of lemons with delicate floral lavender is just heavenly in everything from cocktails to desserts. So I knew lavender lemon bars would be amazing. And they are just as amazing as I imagined. The crust is the perfect texture, and they have just the right filling to crust ratio. They have plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice for a bright, tart filling with a subtle lavender undertone. Perfect in a bar, if you ask me.
Oh yeah, these lavender lemon bars are gluten-free. But it’s not one of those complicated gluten-free recipes with a ton of ingredients. These lemon bars are made super simple with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour and melted butter. So no mixing a thousand different flours and no cutting in cold butter. You just need to mix 3 easy ingredients and press into the pan for the shortbread crust on these delicious bars. You also don’t need a stand mixer to mix the filling, nor do you need to wait for the crust to cool before adding the filling. Just whisk the filling, pour it onto the hot baked crust, and wait while your kitchen starts to smell heavenly.
The hard part comes when you wait for these gluten-free lavender lemon bars to cool and set up so you can dust them with a bit of powdered sugar and cut into them. Once cooled and topped, these bars won’t last long!
Gluten-free lavender lemon bars are just delicious and perfect for any spring occasion from showers (I actually just had some at a bridal shower), to Mother’s Day brunches, to ‘just because’. And if your grandma is a lemon lover like mine is, make some for her. You’ll probably become the favorite grandchild. Just saying.
Gluten-Free Lavender Lemon Bars
Gluten-free lavender lemon bars are the perfect spring dessert! They have a crisp, buttery crust, extra lemony filling, and just a hint of lavender. (gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 bars 1x
- Category: dessert
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1–2 tbsp food grade dried lavender buds*
- 1 cup + 1/2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour, divided
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp 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 1/4 cup lavender infused sugar and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking 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 lemon zest, remaining 1 cup lavender infused sugar, remaining 1/2 tbsp GF flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- 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 22-26 minutes.
- Cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with lavender buds (optional). Slice into bars.
Notes
*Use 2 tbsp lavender for a more pronounced lavender flavor, and less for a milder flavor.
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Kori says
April 13, 2018 at 12:28 pmThese 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
April 15, 2018 at 9:13 amYes, the texture of it is awesome!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
April 15, 2018 at 10:30 amThese look incredible! I love lavender and lemon together!
Kaleigh says
April 15, 2018 at 3:21 pmThanks Julie! It’s a great combination!