Orange Bars

Why You’ll Love It

So easy: These orange bars are easy to prepare. The crust is baked without the filling and then with it, and the chocolate curls are super easy to make as well.
Great flavor: If you’re a fan of fresh mandarin oranges or other types of oranges, you’re going to love these orange bars. Their citrusy taste makes them ideal as a spring or summer treat, but they’re tasty served anytime.
Versatile treats: There are all kinds of ways to enjoy these orange bars. You might like to enjoy them with brunch, have one as dessert or pair a bar with your mid-morning or mid-afternoon coffee.

Orange Bars Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below

Oranges: Fresh oranges are best for making this orange recipe. If you sub bottled juice you won’t get the same fresh flavor in the bars.
Dark chocolate: Such a classic flavor pairing with the orange. If you don’t like dark chocolate, you can use another type in its place.
All-purpose flour: This is the main ingredient in the shortbread crust. You can use gluten free flour if you prefer.
Sugar: You need white sugar and powdered sugar for the crust, and white sugar for the orange citrus glaze.
Cornstarch: This helps to get the right consistency in the filling.

How to Make Orange Bars

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card

Make the crust: Grate some orange zest with a microplane and combine with the flour and both kinds of flour, before grating in some cold butter and mixing to make a dough.
Bake the crust: Press the dough into a parchment paper lined baking dish and bake in a preheated oven for half an hour or until the crust is light golden brown.
Make the orange curd: Whisk the orange juice with the eggs, sugar, flour, cornstarch, and orange zest in a pan for about a minute or until the mixture thickens. Strain into a bowl and whisk in the butter.
Add the orange filling to the crust: Pour the orange mixture into the hot crust, then bake for 30 minutes or until the curd filling is set.
The finishing touches: Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for an hour or until chilled. Cut into bars and add shaved chocolate curls on top.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, just use a 1:1 gluten free flour alternative instead of wheat flour.
Different citrus: Swap the orange for lemon, lime or even grapefruit to change the flavor of the citrus bars.
Add a second flavor: You might like to use a teaspoon of vanilla extract in the crust in place of the orange zest for a different result.

Serving Suggestions

Brunch dishes: If you’re serving these for brunch instead of for dessert, you might like to make sheet pan eggs or Starbucks style egg bites too.
Drink options: Anything from a mango banana matcha smoothie to a lemon blackberry jam prosecco cocktail would pair perfectly (the second option is for the grownups only of course!)
Main course ideas:  If you’re making the orange bars as a dessert, you might like to whip up something different for your lunch or dinner, such as honey mustard pork chops or a blackened chicken Caesar salad.

How to Store Orange Bars

Store: Keep the orange dream bars at room temperature. They will be fine out of the refrigerator for a day if they’re well wrapped because of the acidic citrus content. Any longer than a day though, and they need to be refrigerated. These bars will keep for several days.
Freeze: Freeze them wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, either two layers of that or one of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil.
Thaw: Thaw them overnight in the fridge or, for quicker defrosting, on the countertop.