Meyer Lemon Macadamia Crumble Squares

Meyer 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.

Don’t forget to pin these Meyer Lemon Crumble Squares for later!

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4.88 from 8 votes

Meyer Lemon Macadamia Crumble Squares

Author Sue Moran

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Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 batch Meyer Lemon Curd or about 9-10 oz store bought curd or jam
• Crumble topping
• reserved 1/3 of the shortbread dough
• 1/2 cup rough chopped macadamias

Meyer lemon curd

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice about 4 or 5 lemons
• zest of 1 Meyer lemon
• scant 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Cream the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and salt.
• Add in the flour and chopped macadamias and mix until the dough comes together. It will be crumbly.
• Pat 2/3 of the dough into a 8x8 or 9x9 square baking dish, and reserve the other 1/3. (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 the Meyer Lemon Curd. Don't spread it to the edge, leave a little space around the perimeter. You will have a little curd leftover, and trust me, you'll thank me for that.
• Crumble the 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 🙂
• To make the Meyer lemon curd: put the yolks, sugar, zest and juice in a saucepan. Whisk everything together.
• Heat on medium, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the curd thickens. It will darken and become glossy and translucent and coat the spatula when it is done. Do not let it boil. This will take about 10 minutes or so, depending on the level of your heat and the size of your pan.
• Take off the heat and add in the butter, a few pieces at a time, stirring until all the butter is incorporated and the curd is smooth.
• Cool and then store in a an airtight jar in the fridge. It will thicken further as it cools.

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is provided as a courtesy and although theviewfromgreatisland.com tries to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Make it your own ~

• Try any jam or marmalade you love in the bars, they will all work.
• Vary the nuts, too!

 

More Meyer lemon love~

Meyer Lemon Roast Chicken

 

Meyer Lemon Filled Chocolates

 

Meyer Lemon And Rosemary Focaccia