My goal in creating these poppy-seed-speckled lemon bars was to combine the crispness of hamantaschen, the triangular pastries eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim, with the moistness of cake.
It turns out that using the same shortbread dough for the crust and topping does the trick, conveniently yielding cookies that are buttery-crisp on the bottom and soft in the center, where a layer of lemon curd meets the dough.
But the best bit is where the curd meets the edges of the pan, caramelizing into puckery candy. If you want to make the curd, I have a very easy recipe that can be done in about seven minutes in the microwave. But jarred curd works just as well. Or if you like you can substitute jam, which gives these bars a fruity snap.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bars
These curd-filled treats split the difference between lemon bars and lemon poppy seed cake, with a shortbread-like crust and crumbly streusel topping studded with poppy seeds. If you don’t feel like making homemade lemon curd, store-bought works perfectly, or substitute thick fruit jam or marmalade.