Tangy pink grapefruit bars are a clever twist on everybody’s favorite lemon bars. The color’s gorgeous, the flavor’s bright and citrusy ~ what’s not to love??
one bowl pink grapefruit bars are a sunny winter bake
Winter doesn’t have a whole lot of perks when it comes to fresh food, but citrus fruit more than makes up for any shortcomings in that area. All citrus, from lemons and limes to grapefruit, pomelo, and kumquats are at their absolute best when the weather is worst. Lucky us!
pink grapefruit’s unique flavor makes a sophisticated treat
If you’re a lemon bar fan you’ll flip for these. In fact a touch of lemon is my secret ingredient, it adds a little lemony tang to that wonderful bitter/sweet juicy grapefruit flavor. These are simple, old fashioned, not too sweet, and bursting with the essence of fresh pink grapefruit. I used the same bowl for the crust and the filling, so it’s one of those busy life kind of recipes. You will need just one pink or Ruby Red grapefruit for the filling. I used whole wheat flour and brown sugar for the crust to give these bars an earthy feel. They are quite good cold from the fridge with a hot cup of coffee in the morning.
more citrus desserts
- Cranberry Orange Cake
- Lemon Chiffon Cake
- The Best Tangy Lime Bars
- Gluten Free Tangerine Cake
- Meyer Lemon Pudding (super easy recipe!)
- Blood Orange Crumble Bars
One Bowl Pink Grapefruit Bars
Ingredients
for the crust
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (you can also use all purpose flour)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
for the filling
- 2 large eggs
- zest of 1 grapefruit
- 1/2 cup ruby red grapefruit juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- squeeze of lemon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- a drop or two of red food coloring, optional but pretty
for the garnish
- confectioner's sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350F
- Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper with overlapping ends so you can remove the cooled squares for easy cutting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, (you can also do this by hand), combine the butter, flour and sugar until there is no more dry flour feel and the mixture is uniformly crumbly. Press the crust evenly into the pan, using your fingers or the bottom of a metal measuring cup as a tamper.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, wipe out the bowl and add the filling ingredients. Beat or whisk until everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
- Pour the filling onto the hot crust, and then return to the oven for another 25 minutes, or until set.
- Cool completely in the refrigerator, and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition
My Mother would love these! Thanks for the recipe.
Wow! i just tested this recipe and it is wonderful. I didn’t have a lemon so I used a tangerine instead. So yummy. I’m going to double the crust and triple the filling for a 9×13 pan and take these to our family’s Christmas celebration this weekend. Thanks and happy holidays to you!
Yum — I think tangerine sounds great — glad you like them Bridgett — have a happy holiday season!
I just made these tonight! I had two grapefruits leftover and didn’t want to throw them out. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and actually had all the ingredients in my pantry. I don’t consider myself much of a baker and I was able to make these with no trouble. Very easy and soooo freakin’ DELICIOUS!!!! My hubby and son love them as well! Thanks so much for posting this recipe!! 😀
Yay! And you’re welcome 🙂
I love the one bowl recipes cropping up around the food blogging world!
I should print these out for sure.
Oh I love the sound of these. I have a grapefruit tree in my garden too and they are not really sour and can be eaten like an orange, or juiced. They would be perfect for this slice.
These look great! I love all citrus bars and the use of pink grapefruit sounds and looks really good!
They are such a beautiful color too! You rock with the citrus recipes and I am looking forward to those wonderful recipes directly from your backyard!
Why have I never thought to use grapefruit in a bar like this? These sound so delicious and perfect. I might actually have to try out a batch with our backyard oranges. Citrus tree fist bump!
I’ve been loving grapefruit lately and these bars are completely mouth-watering! I love that I can whip them up in one bowl – easy peasy!
Well I love lemon anything so I’ll be reading with glee 😉