when summer comes to a close, it is always a bummer for a whole host of reasons. bye bye long days, warm water and insane fresh produce. now that we are in the thick of winter, i'm missing those gorgeous summer berries, juicy watermelon and vine ripened heirloom tomatoes that didn't have to come from the other hemisphere. basically, i have the pretty produce blues. 

but the bright shining, light in these dreary months? winter citrus. oh yes, they come in all sizes and colors. sweet lemons, blood oranges, POMELOS! there are just so many choices. and sometimes while i'm at the produce store, i can't pick just one. so i end up with an abundance of choices and in need of a recipe to use them all up. 

lemon bars are a classic treat, but they become something stunning when you sub mixed winter fruit instead of just lemons. i've baked this recipe using everything from blood oranges, to limes, to grapefruit and every combo in between. use what you have on hand, what you like, or use what you think is prettiest. 

winter citrus bars
serves: 12-18 bars (depending on the size you want)
prep time: 10 minutes
inactive time: 30 minutes
cook time: 55 minutes
total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
ingredients: crust. .5 lb butter (2 sticks). .5 cup sugar. 2 cups all purpose flour. .25 tsp salt. 

filling. 6 large eggs. 2.5 cups sugar (3 cups if you use only lemons). 1 cup flour. 2 tbs citrus zest. 1 cups citrus juice (i used the 75% grapefruit, 1 lemon and 1 blood orange. served segments of fruit for garnish. .25 cup powdered sugar for garnish. parchment paper. 9 x 13 inch baking pan. 

in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. 

on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar till well combined. 

turn the mixer down to low and add in the flour and salt. mix till combined and the dough starts to come together. 

line your baking pan with parchment and turn the dough out into the pan. 

use your hands to gently press the dough into the pan so it is in an even layer. 

lightly poke the crust with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. 

preheat your oven to 350 degrees f. 

bake your crust for 12-15 minutes until it just starts to lightly brown on the edges. remove it from the heat, and set on a cooling rack. 

while the crust is baking, combine the eggs, juice, zest, 2.5 cups sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mix. 

whisk on medium speed till well combined. 

pour the filling onto the cooling crust and bake till set and no longer giggling. about 30-35 minutes. 

if you reserved citrus segments to decorate your bars, bake your bars off until almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes. remove, place your segments in desired design and place back in the oven for remaining bake time. 

once done, remove from the even and allow to cool to room temperature.
the easiest way to cut them is to first freeze them. once frozen, pull the parchment out of the pan and discard it.

slice the bars into desired size. 

dust with powdered sugar and serve. 

xo, a

winter citrus bars
serves: 12-18 bars (depending on the size you want)
prep time: 10 minutes
inactive time: 30 minutes
cook time: 55 minutes
total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
ingredients: crust. .5 lb butter (2 sticks). .5 cup sugar. 2 cups all purpose flour. .25 tsp salt.
filling. 6 large eggs. 2.5 cups sugar (3 cups if you use only lemons). 1 cup flour. 2 tbs citrus zest. 1 cups citrus juice (i used the 75% grapefruit, 1 lemon and 1 blood orange. served segments of fruit for garnish. .25 cup powdered sugar for garnish. parchment paper. 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar.
on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar till well combined.
turn the mixer down to low and add in the flour and salt. mix till combined and the dough starts to come together.
line your baking pan with parchment and turn the dough out into the pan.
use your hands to gently press the dough into the pan so it is in an even layer.
lightly poke the crust with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.
bake your crust for 12-15 minutes until it just starts to lightly brown on the edges. remove it from the heat, and set on a cooling rack.
while the crust is baking, combine the eggs, juice, zest, 2.5 cups sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mix. whisk on medium speed till well combined.
pour the filling onto the cooling crust and bake till set and no longer giggling. about 30-35 minutes.
if you reserved citrus segments to decorate your bars, bake your bars off until almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes. remove, place your segments in desired design and place back in the oven for remaining bake time.
once done, remove from the even and allow to cool to room temperature.
the easiest way to cut them is to first freeze them. once frozen, pull the parchment out of the pan and discard it.
slice the bars into desired size.
dust with powdered sugar and serve.