A bright, summery twist on classic lemon bars—these Pink Lemonade Bars with a touch of grenadine are refreshing, pretty, and simple to make. I hadn’t baked plain lemon bars for a while because my husband asked for them so often I grew tired of making them. Wanting to fall in love with baking them again, I experimented a bit and decided a hint of grenadine would give the bars a nostalgic pink hue and a subtle fruity note.
Grenadine is a sweet, tart syrup traditionally made from pomegranate juice, sugar, and water. It’s commonly used to add color and a mild fruity flavor to drinks and mocktails. Many commercial brands use other fruit juices or artificial colorings, so check the label if you can; however, only a small amount is needed in this recipe, so a typical store-bought bottle will do in a pinch. A little grenadine goes a long way—just enough to tint the filling a lovely pale pink without overpowering the lemon flavor.
These bars are essentially my favorite lemon bar recipe with a beachy makeover. They’re great for barbecues, picnics, or poolside gatherings and are a hit with picky eaters. Make a batch for your next sunny get-together and enjoy!
The crust in the making…
Crust pressed into the pan and baked…
Covered with powdered sugar and ready to cut…
Hope you enjoy these and have a fantastic weekend!
PINK LEMONADE BARS with GRENADINE
Makes 24 bars or 36 squares
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces
For the filling:
3 extra-large eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice (concentrate or fresh from about 2 lemons)
1 1/2 tablespoons grenadine syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 13″ x 9″ baking pan with foil, leaving a bit of foil over the sides to use as handles. Lightly spray the foil with a butter-flavored cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Press the dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing and pressing firmly with your hand. Bake for 15–17 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.
While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs on high speed until thick and pale, about 3–4 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the lemon juice, grenadine, sugar, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons flour. Increase the mixer to high and beat until fully combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake 15–18 minutes, or until the filling is just set and the edges are slightly golden. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Sift powdered sugar over the warm filling. Cool completely in the pan, then use the foil overhang to lift the slab onto a cutting board. Peel the foil back, flatten the edges out of the way, and slice into bars or squares. For clean edges, center the slab on the board and remove foil one side at a time if needed. Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.