I spent all morning Sunday on Pinterest. That’s pretty much all you need to know to understand the next couple of posts I have planned. Let’s just say I was REALLY hungry afterward.

These are actually more cake-like than the traditional powdered sugar dusted lemon bars – sort of like lemon brownies (these are actually what inspired me try making my own recipe). If you aren’t a fan of coconut, you could easily omit the crust – just watch the bake time closely. And if you don’t happen to have any blueberries, you could leave those out too. But personally, I think this is the perfect combination of sweet, fresh and tart.

There's a tiny hand photobombing my lemons in the background

Lemon Blueberry Bars With Coconut Crust

CRUST

1 1/2 CUP FLOUR
¾ CUP FLAKED COCONUT
½ CUP BROWN SUGAR
½ CUP BUTTER, ROOM TEMPERATURE
1 TSP SALT
2 TSP LEMON ZEST

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Press into a well-greased 9×13 baking dish. Put it into the fridge while you make the filling.

 FILLING

1 CUP FLOUR
1 CUP SUGAR
½ TSP SALT
¾ CUP (1 ½ STICKS) BUTTER, SOFTENED
3 EGGS
ZEST & JUICE OF 2 LEMONS
1 ½ CUPS BLUEBERRIES

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour the lemon mixture into the flour mixture. Beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Turn off mixer, fold in blueberries by hand. Spread filling over crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees, until the center is baked through and the edges are lightly browned. Let the bars cool completely before you try to cut them.

GLAZE

ZEST & JUICE OF HALF A LEMON
½ CUP POWDERED SUGAR
2 TABLESPOONS WATER

Wisk together until it’s all combined. Drizzle over cooled bars and spread around with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until the glaze hardens. Eat and enjoy.

She's trying SO HARD not to touch them

She couldn't resist anymore!

So this one time, I was at the grocery store with my husband and he tried to buy a gross, pre-made pie in a box from the bakery section. I was like, “DUDE, I BAKE.” and he was all “But can you make a LEMON CRUNCH PIE?” and I was all “You’ve heard of GOOGLE right?” But then I was like “Oh no, none of these recipes on the internet look like the pie from the store! I’ll have to make it up as I go!” and he was like “Oh geez, that sounds hard. Do you think you can really do it? and I was all “Watch me, bitches.”

So I invented a Lemon Crunch Pie. The end.

Lemon Crunch Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
4-5 tablespoons ice cold water

Throw the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Toss in the shortening too and then mash it up with a fork until it’s in little pieces. Don’t mix it TOO well, since the little pieces of shortening in the crust is what makes it flaky. Add cold water about a tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticky enough to hold together. Do most of your mixing with the fork but make sure you test it by squishing it together with your hands or you’ll end up adding too much water. Roll it out, press into a 9 inch pie plate and crimp the edges.

Bake the crust at 400 for 7 minutes.

(If you MUST, I will allow for store bought pie dough but only if you recite the Pledge of Allegiance while rolling it out to prove you’re not a communist.)

Filling:

Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 well-beaten egg yolks
1 1/4 c. boiling water
3 egg whites

Separate egg yolks from whites. Zest and juice the lemons. Pour 1 ¼ cup water into a medium sized sauce pan. When it comes to a boil, mix in juice, sugar, cornstarch, and well-beaten egg yolks. Stir until well blended and cook until thick – this happens pretty quickly so be sure to keep stirring. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Fold the lemon mixture into the whites.

Pour into baked crust.

Topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons chilled butter

Toss it all in a food processor and mix for a few seconds, until it’s crumbly but not too fine. Spread out over filling, bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until topping is slightly brown & all the butter has melted.

Refrigerate for a couple hours and serve cold.

Not the prettiest pie I’ve ever made, but really really delicious.

I linked up my recipe to Mique’s Pity Party at 30 Handmade Days