You will love these gorgeous and delicious lemon bars. The addition of hibiscus makes them amazing and beautiful.
Crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. flour
pinch of salt
1 t. vanilla bean paste
Filling:
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T. dried hibiscus or hibiscus tea*
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
Garnish:
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer. Add in flour and salt, mixing just until combined. Lightly flour fingers so they don't stick to the dough. Press dough into a 9 x 9 baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper, press evenly across the bottom of the pan. Chill for 15 minutes.
Bake crust for 15 minutes until just lightly browned; set aside to cool, leaving the oven on.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Stir the hibiscus into the lemon juice; let sit for 15 minutes until it's a dark pink color, then strain and discard the hibiscus.
Whisk eggs and sugar together until well blended; stir in the lemon juice; blend in the flour.
Pour the filling over the crust; bake 20-25 minutes, until the center of the filling is set and not jiggly.
Let cool fully before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. (Be sure to chill them before you attempt to remove them.)
Makes 9 large or 16 small bars
*Any type of good hibiscus tea can be used for this, but the more hibiscus flowers in the formulation, the better. If using bagged tea, tear it open and use the loose tea.