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–+ servings
baked grapefruit bars on white parchment topped with grapefruit slices and pink glaze beside grapefruit slices on light pink background.
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5 from 2 votes

Grapefruit Bars

We all know those beloved lemon bars with a shortbread crust and citrusy filling. It’s a sweet but tart dessert that’s getting a makeover using grapefruit instead of lemon in this Grapefruit Bar recipe. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chill Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack, treats
Cuisine: bakery, cafe
Servings: 9
Calories: 220kcal
Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • 8x8 baking dish
  • Hand Mixer
  • Zester
  • Juicer
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Rubber Spatula
  • parchment paper

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup confectioners sugar
  • ¼ cup butter

For the filling

  • 1 cup cane sugar
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp grapefruit juice
  • 1 tbsp grapefruit zest
  • 1 tbsp pink food coloring optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • In a microwave safe mixing bowl, melt the butter.
  • Then fold in all purpose four and confectioners sugar. Combine until a shortbread texture forms. You may want to use a pastry blender here if you have one to ensure all of the clumps of flour have dissolved.
  • Line a pyrex 8x8 dish with parchment paper. Gently press the crust into the lined pan. Ensure crust an even thickness throughout. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • While the crust is baking, start on the filling. In the same mixing bowl, fold together sugar, flour, and baking powder.
  • Add the eggs to the bowl and then using a HAND MIXER (an electric hand mixer is crucial - you will not get the curd-like texture that you’ll need unless you use one) beat the batter.
  • Add freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and grapefruit zest and food coloring, if using. Mix together again.
  • Remove the crust after it’s been baked and gently pour the grapefruit filling onto the crust. Bake for another 25 minutes.
  • After the bars have slightly cooled, place them in the freezer for 2 hours to chill.
  • After the bars have chilled, allow them to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving. See above for slicing tips. 
  • Garnish with powdered sugar and fresh grapefruit slices if desired.

Notes

You’ll notice that the color doesn’t change much with the addition of grapefruit juice and zest. I added a generous amount of pink food coloring and once it baked, it still didn’t hold the color. If the color is super important to you, make sure you use a lot of pink food coloring.
Store Grapefruit Bars in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bar | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 40mg | Sugar: 26g