Yuzu Bars with Shortbread Crust

Thick and creamy yuzu custard filling sits on top of buttery shortbread crust. Give classic lemon bars an Asian twist with Japanese yuzu juice. You only need 6 ingredients for these sweet and citrusy bars!

WHAT IS YUZU?

Yuzu is a citrus fruit mainly cultivated in Japan, China, and Korea. It looks like the hybrid of lemon and orange. It is incredibly fragrant, and has a strong and distinctive aroma. It is also as tart as a lime and extremely sour. I wouldn’t recommend eating the fruit by itself. Its juice and zest are used widely for flavoring. It is a wonderful addition to ponzu sauce, dressing, tea, sorbet, infused honey, or even cocktail drinks.

It is rare to find frest yuzu here in the US. But instead, you can look for yuzu extract or yuzu juice in Asian grocery stores. They come in bottles with various labels. The one I used in the recipe was this Yuzu Extract found in H Mart (picture below). If you can’t find yuzu extract or don’t like yuzu, you can certainly substitute with fresh lemon juice for a classic lemon bar.

This recipe is my take on the classic lemon bar recipe with an Asian twist. Simply replace lemon juice with Yuzu juice for extra layers of flavor. With yuzu, you’ll end up tasting a mix of sweet and sourness.

NOTES:

• Pan Size: I used a 8×8 in baking pan for thicker layers. For thinner layers, you can use a 9×9 in or 9×13 in baking pan.
• Parchment Paper: When lining the pan with parchment paper, make sure to leave overhang on both sides, so it’s easier to remove bars from the pan later.
• Baking: Press shortbread crust firmly into the pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or it is lightly browned. Then pour the custard filling onto the baked crust, and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the center is set.
• Cooling: I usually cool to room temperature first, then chill the yuzu bars in the refrigerator for at least an hour. They make great refreshing and delicious cold snacks!

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!

Yuzu Bars with Shortbread Crust

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cooling Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 3 hrs

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Description

Thick and creamy yuzu custard filling sits on top of buttery shortbread crust. Give classic lemon bars an Asian twist with Japanese yuzu extract juice. You only need 6 ingredients for these sweet and citrusy bars!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Shortbread Crust

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour

Yuzu Filling

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup all purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup yuzu extract juice

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Instructions

Shortbread Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 8 x 8 in or 9 x 13 in pan with parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides so it’s easier to lift up later.
3. In a food processor, combine butter, sugar, salt, and flour together. Pulse until coarse crumbs form.
4. Press the dough firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Yuzu Filling

1. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and flour. Then add eggs and yuzu extract juice and mix until smooth and well combined.
2. Pour filling over the baked crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes,
3. Let cool to room temperature. Then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Lift the yuzu bars out of the pan using the overhang parchment paper. Cut in squares, and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

Yuzu bars can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can substitute yuzu extract with lemon juice 

Use 8×8 in pan for thicker bars, and 9×13 in for thinner bar

• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American, Japanese

Keywords: shortbread crust, yuzu