Sweet nectarines combine with a bright lemon filling in these easy Nectarine Lemon Bars. Like a classic lemon bar, these bars have a buttery base and thick lemon topping, but with the addition of fresh nectarine slices baked right in. Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix does triple duty in this recipe: it forms an easy crust, coats the juicy nectarines, and thickens the filling. The result is part lemon bar, part fruit tart, and completely irresistible!
Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need for these Nectarine Lemon Bars.
Nectarines: Nectarines are similar to peaches in flavor but without the fuzz on the skins, making them a perfect choice for this fruit bar.
Lemons: The zest and juice of two lemons flavor the crust and filling.
Sugar Cookie Mix: This easy crust is a simple mixture of Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix and melted butter. Some of the mix is also used to coat the fruit and to thicken the filling.
Butter: Melted butter combined with the cookie mix forms a sweet and buttery base for these bars.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Sugar, eggs, and salt.
Here are our best tips for making Nectarine Lemon Bars. See the full recipe for detailed instructions.
First, remove 5 tablespoons of cookie mix and set it aside for later. Combine the remaining cookie mix with the melted butter and lemon zest to form a crumbly dough. Press the dough into a prepared 8x8-inch baking pan.
Partially bake the crust by itself, without any filling. Also called blind baking, this step will give the crust a jump start on baking and keep it from becoming soggy.
Coating the nectarines in a bit of cookie mix absorbs the juices from the nectarines as they bake and prevents the filling from becoming watery.
Combine the filling ingredients, including a little bit more of the cookie mix, to create a smooth lemon filling. The cookie mix, along with a couple eggs, thickens the filling and gives it enough structure to slice. The nectarines and filling are layered right on top of the hot, partially baked crust.
Finally, bake the bars! These bars take about 30 minutes to bake, the edges will be golden brown and the center will be set without any jiggle.
Follow these tips for storing Nectarine Lemon Bars.
These bars must be stored in the refrigerator for food safety. Place bars in an airtight container, or wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Wrap bars individually in plastic wrap and place in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month.
Thaw frozen bars in the refrigerator overnight.
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, place 5 tablespoons of the cookie mix; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining cookie mix, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest until a crumbly dough forms. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved cookie mix until smooth and well blended.
In a medium bowl, toss the nectarine slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons cookie mix until evenly coated.
Arrange the nectarine slices in a single layer over the partially baked crust.
Pour the lemon juice mixture over the top, tilting the pan as needed to spread the mixture into the corners of the pan.
Bake for 33 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown in spots, edges are golden brown, and the center is set. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.
Peaches or even apricots would work great in this recipe.
Lemon zest, in both the crust and filling, gives these bars lots of fresh lemon flavor! You will need about 2 large lemons to get 2 tablespoons zest and 1/4 cup juice.
