Raspberry Blood Orange Bars
Can it be? It’s the day before Valentine’s Day and I am actually posting something appropriately sweet! (And pink and red!)
Nothing chocolatey though, since I like tangy fruit desserts even better than chocolate ones. (Good thing every other food blog out there has got you covered…)
And no, I’m probably not going to start being on top of themed holiday posts all year round; I didn’t even intend for these to be Valentine’s-y… I made them last week, for Paula’s birthday.
At first she requested the same zesty lemon lime bars I made for her birthday last year. But then she changed her mind and asked for blood orange bars. This would have been easy enough to accommodate, since it’s just swapping in a different kind of citrus juice… until she also asked me to add raspberries. An inspired flavor and color combination, to be sure, but I was at a loss as to how to do it.
Luckily, it only took two batches to figure it out. (And while the first failed version was not remotely photogenic enough to be shown here; both were delicious.)
For attempt #1, I assembled all the ingredients for each layer, and stuck the crust in the oven. When it came time to add the raspberries, I simply scattered a layer of frozen whole raspberries—dusted with sugar and flour—on top of the crust, and for some reason (hunger? impatience? denial?) I assumed that pouring the raw citrus-curd topping over the top of the raspberries would result in nice separate layers.
Instead, the liquidy mixture of blood orange juice, lemon, sugar, and eggs immediately swirled under and around the raspberries. The watery topping took ages to firm up—more than double lemon bars’ usual baking time.
It was also not as pretty as you might think: I’d used frozen rather than fresh raspberries, some of which were smushed and broken, so the ice still clinging to the raspberries diluted the bright pink of the blood orange curd to a duller, faded color, and there were splotchy yellow lemon/egg swirls around the bashed up raspberry bits.
Needless to say, I didn’t take photos.
Also needless to say, it still tasted good! (Even though I’d also added way too much sugar…)
So let me make a long story short a little less long and say that the second batch was perfection.
I knew the raspberry layer would need to keep to itself, so I simmered the frozen raspberries in a saucepan for a few minutes until they gelled and thickened, then I gave that layer its own 10 minutes of baking time before pouring over the citrusy topping and putting it back in the oven.
The vibrant bars are gooey and sweet. They’re not as tart as the lemon lime bars thanks to the sugary blood orange juice, but I added some lemon juice and used less sugar the second time to make them a little less saccharine. The thick raspberry layer adds a nice tartness and textural contrast.
The red and pink layers pretty much kept to themselves, except in a few spots around the edges. The few remaining hints of yellow, and the rogue bubbles of deep red raspberry, were nothing that couldn’t be covered up by a light sprinkling of powdered sugar on top.
I’m pretty proud of this recipe—even though the idea was all Paula’s—since I don’t often invent or experiment with baked desserts; I’m much more of a cook than a baker. These are the prettiest, tastiest treats I’ve whipped up in a while. I plan to keep making them until the blood oranges disappear for the season; and I look forward to eating them in winters to come.
Happy Valentine’s Day if you’re celebrating!
(And happy Anna Howard Shaw Day if you’re a 30 Rock fan!)
Print this recipe. (PDF)
RECIPE:
Raspberry Blood Orange Bars
(Adapted from Zesty Lemon Lime Bars, which were adapted from “Pure Dessert” by Alice Medrich
(Makes 16 small square bars)
Active time: 45 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes.
Crust Ingredients:
~ 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
~ ¼ cup sugar
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ ¼ tsp. salt
~ 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour
Raspberry Layer:
~ 12 oz. frozen raspberries
~ 2 Tbsp. flour
~ 1 Tbsp. sugar
~ 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Blood Orange Topping Ingredients:
~ ¾ cup sugar
~ 3 Tbsp. flour
~ 3 large eggs, whisked well until smooth
~ ½ cup strained fresh blood orange juice (from 5-6 small or 2-3 large oranges)
~ 2 Tbsp. strained fresh lemon juice (from ½ a lemon)
OPTIONAL:
~ powdered sugar, for dusting
How to make it:
1. Move an oven rack to the lower third of the oven, and pre-heat to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or foil.
2. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until this mixture is smooth, then fold in the flour with a rubber spatula until just mixed. Press the dough across the bottom of the baking dish—it will be thin, and might take a little time to cover the entire pan evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is starting to brown at the edges and in the center.
3. While the crust is baking, cook the raspberries: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the raspberries, flour, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook for 10-15 minutes total, turning the heat up to medium once the raspberries have started to release some liquid, and turning the heat up to medium-high for the last 3-4 minutes, to simmer and thicken the raspberries. They are done when you can see a clear path after dragging a spoon across the bottom of the pan, even if only for a moment. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. When the crust is ready, remove from the oven and pour over the cooked raspberries. Evenly spread out the raspberries with a rubber spatula, then return to the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the raspberry layer looks glossy and firm.
5. Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour, then whisk in the eggs. Stir in the strained blood orange/lemon juice.
6. When the raspberry layer is done baking, turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let stand for 2-5 minutes (so the raspberry layer can continue to firm up) before pouring the blood orange filling over it. Bake for another 25 minutes, or until the topping no longer jiggles in the center when you tap the side of the pan.
7. Let cool completely in the baking dish, set on a cooling rack. Then lift up the parchment and transfer to a cutting board. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the bars into 16 squares. The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Optionally dust with powdered sugar just before serving (but don’t dust with powdered sugar if you’re making them ahead of time; the sugar will dissolve into the tops of the bars, and you won’t be able to see it).
Print this recipe! (PDF)
Related recipe posts:
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Blood Orange Tart | Zesty Lemon Lime Bars | Cara Cara Orange Chocolate Cake | Raspberry Chocolate Tart with Coconut Crust |
spontaneous tomato 
Oh my goodness, these loo so good!!!! I love citrus bars, but have never tried blood orange ones!
Thanks, Liz! I know; I had never tried blood orange bars before either, but I figured it couldn’t be that different from the blood orange tart that I made a while back (even though these turned out to be a totally different color!).
Oh my, that looks delicious!!!!!!! NOW, all I have to do is find blood oranges in February in Quebec City! :-P
Thank you! Oh man, I hope I haven’t gotten your hopes up for making something that you can’t find the ingredients for… there have to be blood oranges *somewhere* in Quebec City, right? (Although they’ll definitely have quite the carbon footprint from traveling all the way there… maybe from California!)
A lot of stuff has a footprint in winter, so we compensate by going completely locavore for the growing months. We also have our own plots (800 sq.ft) behind the house and a lot of canning for winter. We do what we can!
Oh, I’ll FIND blood oranges! LOL!
That’s awesome! (And impressive!) Good luck on your quest for blood oranges! :)
Gah! This is beautiful! I’ve been wanting to make passion fruit bars for a while. I think it would be easy to swap out that puree in place of the orange recipe. Not to mention passion fruit + raspberry = win.
Happy Valentine’s day! (almost)
Thanks, Karla! Passion fruit + raspberry does sound good together, and I’m sure that would be a pretty color combination!! Happy almost Valentine’s day to you, too. :)
Looks amazing! I love the colours
Thanks! :) I love the colors, too—I don’t even think my photos did them justice…
Gorgeous recipe Alison, I love the colour, zesty nature, depth and of course that that they are sweet. X
Thanks, Deena! They are definitely very sweet! I love the colors, too.
Lovely! Blood oranges and raspberries are a match made in heaven. And I’m so with you–I managed to do a couple V-Day posts on time, but that will probably never happen again!
And happy Anna Howard Shaw day to you and Paula! Cheers!
Thank you! I realized I forgot to say Happy Galentine’s Day from Parks & Rec, too! :)
Yesssss! Happy Anna Howard Shaw Day to you, too!! I wish there were a Jack Donnaghy compilation of greatest moments like there is for the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey. I’d keep it on loop.
Haha, yes, there needs to be a Jack & Liz moments compilation, too. (There probably is already, but finding it would run the risk of getting sucked into a youtube vortex…) Also, a compilation of Liz Lemon talking about food.
So gorgeous! I love the colors in these bars – they’ve got a natural ombre effect going on! I’m going to have to try harder in my search to find blood oranges, because I need these bars in my life.
Thank you! They do have an ombre effect—I hadn’t thought of it like that.
I think everyone who loves citrus needs these bars in their life. (My sister’s planning to make these, maybe this weekend, with lemons instead of blood oranges, so there’s always that possibility, too, if you can’t find blood oranges… I’d increase the sugar a bit in the topping though, like to 1 cup.)
These look grrrrrrrrreat!
Accurate. :)
Boy, these look incredible. I love blood orange, especially because it’s less sweet than regular orange. Great post – also appreciated the link back to the tart lemon-lim bars, which I hadn’t seen. Thanks.
Thanks for commenting! I love blood oranges, too. These were still much sweeter than the lemon lime bars, even after I reduced the sugar from that recipe, but I do think the blood orange gave it more tartness (and a more vibrant color!) than if I’d used another kind of orange. Anyway, I was very happy with how they turned out. :) (Especially after the failure of the first batch!)
Such a beautiful colour and flavour, lovely recipe :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks, Uru!
These look fantastic!
Thanks, Lisa!
Oh my gosh… my mouth is watering. I will definitely be making these!
Yay, I’m so glad to hear it! I hope you enjoy them!
Gorgeous! Can’t wait to try these!
Thanks, Alicia! Hope you like them!
For some reason I read ruby grapefruit the whole way through your recipe. Well, it is one of my favourite citrus. Hmm, now I have that with raspberries in my head! Actually, I’ve never had a citrus bar. And your lemon bars were the first I’d heard of them. Those might be a better bet to try out as even ruby grapefruit would be difficult to find here. Maybe over the weekend as I’ve just made my first lemon cheesecake tonight! What it’s going to taste like…
Wow, you never had a citrus bar but you love ruby grapefruit? You should definitely try something like these, or lemon/lime bars, or just regular lemon bars, sometime soon; they are one of my favorite types of desserts, ever! (And I kind of want to make a grapefruit version, too, now that you put the idea in my head…)
Your lemon cheesecake sounds intriguing and delicious, too… I am a sucker for all citrusy desserts! :)
My mouth is watering too! Amazing Allison, simply amazing!
Thanks, Lauren! :)
Omg, this looks sooo good. Can’t wait to try these!
Thanks! Let me know how you like them! :)
wow, amazing. in awe.
Aw, thanks. :)
I like it so much!!! May I have a piece?`:) Not, but it looks awesome!
Yes, if only I could send them through the mail…!
These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them out!
Thank you; I hope you enjoy them!
OMG this is serious gorgeousness. I just had a few blood oranges because they’re so beautiful and so delicious. These bars look incredible! Great bday recipe and perfect timing for V day!
Thanks, Amanda! Yeah I don’t think we’ll be limiting this recipe to Valentine’s day or birthdays around here, but I guess it’s naturally limited by when blood oranges are in season… I love blood oranges so much; I think this is a perfect way to enjoy them while they last.
Oh my, Allison these are gorgeous!!!! Absolutely, positively stunning. Love the glazed top and the gorgeous fruity layers… divine. Definitely going to make these. Very soon. Yum!!! Hope that you and Paula had a fantastic Valentine’s day xxx
Thanks!! I’m so happy to hear that you plan to make these! Let me know how you like them. :) Hope you had a fantastic Valentine’s day, too!
These look amazing!!! Oh god I need to quit my job so I have time to try all your recipes!
Thanks!! I know the feeling, and I don’t even have a full time job, since I’m a grad student right now… there are just SO MANY recipes; so little time to try them. (Guess you’ll just have to pick and choose which ones you try!)
What the what?! These are inspired! What a perfect combination of flavours. I will be thinking of these when I am at work today, because they are more interesting than kids doing ballet.
I don’t know if you were intentionally trying to quote Liz Lemon but your comment just made my day. (Especially since you are way more of an impressive and inspired baker of sweets than I will ever be!)
I love this combination – such a great idea!
Thank you! The flavor combination idea was all Paula’s! I just figured out a way to make it work. :)
These look so delicious!
Thanks! (Sorry for my delay in responding. I have no idea why, but I had to rescue this comment from my spam folder…)
Oh my gosh. These look so, so good. And I can just imagine how beautiful the flavor combination is. Drool…. Fantastic, Allison.
Thanks, Cynthia! It was a team effort—Paula dreams these things up and then I go make them happen. :)
These bars look incredible, and I will be making them as soon as I can get my hands on some blood oranges! Thanks for experimenting and sharing your delicious, delicious success. :D
Thanks for commenting! Hope you manage to get your hands on some blood oranges soon. :)
those bars are stunning! I could eat those all day long…what a lovely flavor one/two punch there. Hope you had a lovely valentine’s day!
Thanks, Shannon. We did have a nice Valentine’s day (Paula made me chicken mole!). Hope you did, too! :)
What a great alterntive to those standard chocolate valentine’s treats. Fabulous!
Thanks! I know; it wasn’t my intention to make these for Valentine’s day, but it’s true that chocolate’s a little overdone, and these were a welcome, refreshing change from that!
Darn, I wish I would have made these for Valentine’s! Oh, well, I’m sure these are perfect for any time of the year, right?
Right, Tess! They’re too good to only make/eat them on Valentine’s Day! (I would make & eat them all year round if it weren’t so tricky to find blood oranges in other seasons…)
yum! I am never too into making sweets but really want to try them. I think my mom will love them, since lemon bars are her fave. thanks!
Yay, you’re welcome! I hope you and your mom both enjoy them! Since lemon bars are her favorite (and they’re mine too actually, even more than these probably…) you might also want to check out my lemon/lime bar recipe. Citrus bars are one type of sweet that is definitely worth making!! :)
blood oranges are scandalously underused in baking. Love your recipe!
Thank you! I agree! I’ve found you can use them in almost any recipe that calls for lemon and/or lime (and I love citrus recipes…) as long as you reduce the sugar a little bit, since blood oranges can be kind of sweet. :)
I so want to try these!
Please do! And let me know how you like them if you get a chance. Now I want to make them again… :)
Allison These are Gorgeous!!! Please consider submitting them for #ThursdayTweetTreats on http://foodisloverecipes.com/submit-your-recipe.html
Thanks, Laurie! I just did! :)