Recipe: Chilled Lemon and Rosemary Bars

These naturally sweet treats make the perfect after-dinner dessert with a cuppa

If you’re looking for a small but extremely tasty dessert, these lemon and rosemary bars fit the bill. Created by TV chef and author Erin Bunting with White’s Oats, they are best made the day before you plan to serve so they have enough time to chill in the fridge.

Ingredients (Makes 16)

For the base:

150g White’s Speedicook Oats
150g gingernut biscuits, roughly broken up
2 x 10cm sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
150g melted butter
2 tablespoons demerara sugar

For the topping:

5-6 lemons, zest of 3 and 250ml lemon juice
350g caster sugar
50g plain flour
6 large eggs
2 x 10cm sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
Icing sugar and sprigs of rosemary to garnish (optional)

Method

Lightly butter and line a 23cm (9 inch) deep, square cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional/Gas mark 6

Put the oats, gingernut biscuits and chopped rosemary into a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively put the oats, ginger nuts and rosemary in a sealed sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin.

Put the oat and ginger nut mix in a large bowl and stir in the melted butter and demerara sugar. Put the base mixture into the prepared cake tin and press out until you have an even, compacted layer. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Take the base out of the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 160°C fan/180°C conventional/Gas mark 4.

Zest 3 of the lemons and juice 5 lemons to make 250ml lemon juice. If required juice the final lemon.

Put the sugar and flour in a large bowl and gently whisk to combine. Add the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and finely chopped rosemary and whisk for a couple of minutes until smooth.