Lemon Macadamia Crumble Squares is a buttery shortbread recipe bursting with the unique floral citrus flavor of Meyer lemons and the crunch of macadamia nuts.
There’s a devastating crime wave playing out on the streets of Los Angeles these days that doesn’t get a lot of press.
I’m talking citrus theft. Everybody’s trees are dripping with ripe citrus fruit right now, and there’s a bitter divide between the haves and the have-nots. My friend woke up last week to the awful realization that, in the dead of night, someone had plucked every last Meyer lemon from her front yard tree. That’s just despicable. And I was just about to ask her to lend me a few, too.
Whats the big deal about Meyer lemons?
They have an amazing lemon-tangerine-floral flavor, and they have tons of juice! They only grow in limited parts of the country, and they don’t travel well because of their delicate skin, so they show up rarely in regular grocery stores. They were brought to California from China in the early 20th century and widely planted, but in the 1940s they fell prey a disease that threatened to wipe out all kinds of citrus. So just about all the Meyer Lemon trees in the US were destroyed. In the 70s, a new virus free variety of Meyer lemon was developed, and the rest is history.
The trees are easy to grow in the right climate, and so lots of people planted them in their backyards and patios. A few daring people even planted them right out in front. Like my poor friend. I have to say though, that’s bordering on entrapment, if you ask me.
I made a fresh Meyer lemon curd for these lemon macadamia crumble squares, but you can use any store bought curd you like. Your favorite jam will work as a filling, too (blood orange marmalade, peach apricot, raspberry key lime…)
The same easy shortbread dough you make for the crust also serves as the crumble topping ~ genius!
These are really really good. The shortbread base is nice and moist and thick, the lemon curd is perfect, and the macadamias add crunch and flavor without overpowering the star of the show, the Meyer Lemon. I absolutely loved these, and highly recommend them.
more lemony recipes
- Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Raspberry Lemon Blondies
Lemon Macadamia Crumble Squares
Equipment
- 9×9 square baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, divided.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 9 ounces Meyer lemon curd (about a cup), homemade recipe here
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. If you like you can line your pan with parchment paper with edges overlapping to make your squares easy to remove, or you can just grease the dish if you don't care about removing the bars from the pan.
- Take one cup of the macadamia nuts and finely chop them. Rough chop the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts and set aside for the topping.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and salt.
- Add in the flour and the 1 cup of chopped macadamias and mix until the dough comes together. It will be crumbly.
- Pat 2/3 of the dough into a 9×9 square baking dish, and reserve the other 1/3 for the topping. (You can line the pan with parchment paper with edges overlapping to make it easy to remove, or you can just grease the dish if you don't care about removing the bars from the pan)
- Top with about 9 oz of Meyer lemon curd, or about a cup. Don't spread it to the edge, leave a little space around the perimeter.
- Crumble the 1/2 cup of rough chopped nuts with the reserved 1/3 of the shortbread dough. Just make large crumbs with your fingertips. Sprinkle evenly over the top. Don't worry about covering all the lemon.
- Bake for about 45 minutes until slightly golden.
- Cool completely before cutting. ( Yeah right. )
Nutrition
Wonderful Spring dessert bar! I didn’t have myer lemons so I substituted regular lemons and zest and decreased the lemon juice by 1/8th cup then added in 1/8 cup of navel orange juice. Yummy!
I LOVE THIS RECIPE! I have done so many over the last 2 years. It’s a winner for potlucks and parties. I have also done other flavors of jams and butters too, pairing with other nut options too. Any chance someone has done a gluten free version? If so, what flour type and brand would you use?
So happy I came upon this recipe when looking for something to bake with meyer lemons from our own small tree. The lemin curd was delicious and easy to folliw instructions meant I wasn’t left with a soft mess like my attempt with lemon meringue pie. The combination of shortbread and macadamia was a big delectable winner with gorgeous texture and this may be my nrw favorite dessert. Instructions and quantities were spot on!
Hey Sue! I love your recipes, especially your doughnut cake. Dumb question: how do I adjust measurements for this recipe to make a 9 x 13 pan instead of 8 x 8?
Hi Pamela 🙂 I would just try doubling the recipe, it should work fine.