Lime lavender bars and becoming an auntie once again

Days ago I became an auntie once again: my brother’s baby arrived in this world and made us all very, very happy! <3

My nephew is adorable and I got to hold him for a long time yesterday. I fed him and he then fell asleep in my arms – best feeling ever. I came home with my heart full of love and joy and feeling incredibly inspired, so I went to the kitchen and cooked and baked a bit. These lime lavender bars were one of the recipes I tried and they turned out really good, the lavender adding a different dimension to the citrus flavor.


I’m feeling very inspired, still, and there are other delicious recipes I want to make – in the meantime, I’ll leave you with the bars while I miss my nephew every second of the day: I cannot wait to hold the little one in my arms again. <3

Lime lavender bars
adapted from two great cookbooks: The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook: 100 Delicious Heritage Recipes from the Farm and Garden and Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich

Crust:
¾ teaspoon dried lavender
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour

Topping:
finely grated zest of 2 large limes
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 eggs
½ cup (120ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20cm (8in) baking pan and line it with aluminum foil leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Butter the foil.

Start with the crust: in a pestle and mortar, pound together the lavender and sugar until the buds are smaller in size. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the melted butter, vanilla, salt and flour and mix until just incorporated. Press dough evenly over bottom of pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is fully baked, well-browned at the edges and golden brown in the center.

Topping: in a large bowl, rub together zest and sugar until fragrant. Stir in the flour. Whisk in eggs. Stir in juice, vanilla and salt. When crust is ready, reduce heat to 150°C/300°F, slide rack with pan out and pour filling onto hot crust. Bake for about 20 minutes longer, or until topping no longer jiggles when pan is tapped.

Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar, cut into bars and serve.
Stored in an airtight container, bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Makes 16