Vegan Grapefruit Bars with Shortbread Crust
Happy First Day of Spring everyone! The sun is shining and it feels so good to be outside! I went on a run yesterday and loved the feeling of the sun’s rays on my face. What can be better than starting off this Spring with these delicious vegan grapefruit bars with a shortbread crust? I love grapefruit and wanted to make something similar to lemon bars. These grapefruit bars are the perfect balance between tart and sweet. The crust is probably my favorite thing. It’s flaky and adds a little crunch to the bars. If you aren’t a fan of grapefruit, feel free to swap it out for another citrus. I’m sure it will be just as good. I got this recipe inspiration from Heart of a Baker. If you are a citrus lover, you have to try baking these bars. You and your tastebuds will thank you.
Vegan Grapefruit Bars with Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
For the grapefruit filling:
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- Zest from one grapefruit
- Juice from 1/2 large grapefruit
- 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar (I did a little less)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, coconut oil, and powdered sugar until the dough comes together (I used a fork and then my fingers). Press into the bottom of the greased pan and bake for 7-9 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. You don’t want to over bake the crust, or it will become too hard after you add the filling. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl with a handheld mixer, beat together the banana, grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and flour until fairly smooth and combined.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until filling it set. Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to completely cool and set.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!!!
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container and in the refrigerator.
