Nothing but nothing sings of spring and summer and lovely outdoor weather to me than a Pimm’s Cup, the traditional English cocktail of Pimm’s liqueur topped with sparking lemonade and served with garnishes of fresh fruit and mint. And it is to me, quintessentially British. The taste of my time at Oxford and my many, many visits since. So it is only natural that I distill this into a bite-size sweet in time to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. I have read that Her Majesty prefers Dubonnet or a martini, but surely even she has sipped a pretty Pimm’s cup on a lovely summer day. Celebrate the Queen yourself with a pitcher of Pimm’s and these punchy cocktail inspired bars. And here’s a hint from me – I pour a bottle of Pimm’s in a pitcher with some sliced orange, lemon and lime and a few sprigs of mint and leave it in the fridge to infuse, topping it up with more liqueur as the summer progresses. Pour a measure over ice, add a slice of cucumber, maybe a strawberry and some sparkling lemon-lime soda for a fresh cocktail anytime.
Inspired by classic lemon bars, this soft, citrusy filling with the enigmatic background of Pimm’s rests on a sweet cookie crust. Cut into brownie size pieces or in smaller one-bites for a tea party. I have in the past garnished these with those little jelly slices of lemon or lime candy, but I can’t always find them. A small mint leave would be attractive on top of each bar. Once you’ve tried these, you will make them a regular part of your baking, celebrating any Queen you want!
Check out my other recipes perfect for celebrating the Queen – Strawberry Elderflower Bakewell Tart, Coronation Chicken Salad, Victoria Sponge with Rose Petal Jam, Dundee Cake, Strawberry Curd and Almond Cookies, Pimm’s Cup, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Lemon Lavender Curd Crumble Cake, Nectarine and Lemon Balm Cake.
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
- For the Filling:
1 navel orange
1 lemon
1 lime
½ cup Pimm’s
6 large eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup flour
Directions
- For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9 by 13 brownie pan with parchment paper.
- Place 2 cups of the flour, the confectioners’ sugar, the butter and the salt in the bowl of a mixer and blend until combined but crumbly. Scatter the crumbs in the bottom of the prepared pan and press evenly into a uniform crust. Bake for 20 minutes until firm and golden in places.
- For the Filling:
- While the crust is cooking, zest the citrus to make 2 Tablespoons zest (I do this over the mixing bowl), so not all the zest of each fruit. Juice the citrus to produce ½ cup of mixed juice. Add the ½ cup Pimm’s and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and the citrus zest, then add the sugar and juice and Pimm’s mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and stir until completely combined and smooth. When the crust comes out of the oven, give the filling another stir, then pour it over the crust to cover completely. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the pan. Cool completely in the pan. At this point, you can cover the bars and refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar on top before serving.
- Sprinkle the top generously with powdered sugar and cut into 24 squares.
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