Dessert
Passion Fruit Shortbread Bars
A shortbread base holds a tangy passion fruit topping in these chilled bars. Cook the curd on the stovetop first, strain it over the crust and finish baking until the edges set.
- Yield
- 16 bars
- Cuisine
- American-inspired
Bring it to the table
A stovetop start for the curd
Whisk the filling constantly as it warms, reaching into the corners of the pan. Straining before baking catches any small lumps and gives the topping an even texture.
At the table
Chill the baked slab for at least three hours before cutting into squares. Add fresh passion fruit or a dusting of powdered sugar if you like.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 125 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt — or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter — melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 31 g all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt — or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups passion fruit juice or passion fruit juice cocktail
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- fresh passion fruit or powdered sugar — optional, to finish
A few useful notes.
Use the specified juice or juice cocktail; an intensely concentrated passion fruit purée may change the balance.
Chilling is part of the setting process. Do not cut the slab while the filling is still warm.
The base batch uses an 8-inch square pan. Adjust the number of pans when scaling rather than simply multiplying the oven time.
The cooking plan
How to make Passion Fruit Shortbread Bars.
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Line an 8-inch square pan with overlapping sheets of parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides.
Whisk the shortbread flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla with a spatula until the mixture forms moist clumps. Press evenly into the lined pan, including the corners. Bake for 13–17 minutes, until the top and edges are golden, then put the pan on a rack.
Whisk the curd flour, cream of tartar and salt in a small bowl. In a large saucepan, whisk the eggs, yolks, passion fruit juice, lemon juice and curd sugar together. Whisk in the flour mixture.
Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously and reaching the corners of the pan, for about 9–12 minutes, until the mixture steams and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.
Strain the curd through a fine sieve directly over the baked shortbread, scraping the underside of the sieve to recover the smooth curd. Spread evenly to the edges. Tent the pan loosely with foil and bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.
Reduce the oven to 325°F and remove the foil. Bake for another 8–10 minutes, until the filling is set around the sides with a slight wobble in the middle.
Cool on a rack for about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Lift out using the parchment and cut into 16 squares. Add fresh passion fruit or powdered sugar if desired. Keep refrigerated.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Passion Fruit Shortbread Bars
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Ingredients
125 g all-purpose flour- 150 g granulated sugar
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 31 g all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or use half as much Morton kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cups passion fruit juice or passion fruit juice cocktail
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- fresh passion fruit or powdered sugar optional, to finish
Equipment
Equipment images are illustrative. Exact products may vary.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Line an 8-inch square pan with overlapping sheets of parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides.
- Whisk the shortbread flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla with a spatula until the mixture forms moist clumps. Press evenly into the lined pan, including the corners. Bake for 13–17 minutes, until the top and edges are golden, then put the pan on a rack.
- Whisk the curd flour, cream of tartar and salt in a small bowl. In a large saucepan, whisk the eggs, yolks, passion fruit juice, lemon juice and curd sugar together. Whisk in the flour mixture.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously and reaching the corners of the pan, for about 9–12 minutes, until the mixture steams and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.
- Strain the curd through a fine sieve directly over the baked shortbread, scraping the underside of the sieve to recover the smooth curd. Spread evenly to the edges. Tent the pan loosely with foil and bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.
- Reduce the oven to 325°F and remove the foil. Bake for another 8–10 minutes, until the filling is set around the sides with a slight wobble in the middle.
- Cool on a rack for about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Lift out using the parchment and cut into 16 squares. Add fresh passion fruit or powdered sugar if desired. Keep refrigerated.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!A couple of useful answers.
Why cook the curd before baking?
The stovetop stage thickens it before it goes over the shortbread. The short oven finish then sets the filling around the edges.
How do I get cleaner slices?
Chill the slab for at least 3 hours after its initial cooling time, then lift it out of the pan with the parchment before cutting.
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