Luscious Lemon Squares--A Recipe Review

On my recent trip to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to visit family and friends, I was the lucky recipient of Kelly Smith's everyday grain-free baking. As a thank you for the thoughtful birthday gift, I decided to bake the Luscious Lemon Squares to bring to my friend's barbecue. They were a hit, of course. More than one person inquired, "These are really gluten-free?" Yes, my friends, gluten-free can taste simply amazing! Whether you have a gluten intolerance or are just cutting over-processed grains from your diet, this is one dessert recipe that you will end up making over and over again. I also love that the only sweetener is a little over half a cup of honey for the entire recipe.

Although I've had lemon bars on a few occasions and liked them, I've never tried to make them myself. So, when the recipe said that these bars take a little longer to prepare with the fresh lemon curd, I had no idea what that meant. In my opinion, these Luscious Lemon Squares took very little time for such a tasty treat. everyday grain-free baking is packed with over one hundred recipes from desserts, to muffins, to pancakes, to breads and crackers.

To make the bars, preheat your oven to 315ºF, and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. First make the crust. Place the almond flour, butter, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times until small pellets form. Add the honey and vanilla, and pulse until a ball begins to form.

Turn off the food processor, and remove the blade. Remove the dough and press firmly and evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for eight to ten minutes until the dough begins to puff but is not yet brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.

While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon curd filling.Whisk together the egg yolks, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small sauce pan. Heat the mixture over low heat adding the butter one tablespoon at a time until each is melted. Continue stirring over low heat until the lemon curd thickens to the consistency of a thin pudding.

The original recipe asks you to strain the lemon curd filling through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. I skipped this step, and my bars turned out just fine. Place the filling in the fridge until it is cool to the touch (about 20 minutes), then pour over the crust, and smooth with a spatula.

Bake at 315ºF for about twenty minutes until the filling is set and slightly puffy. Remove from the oven to a baking rack to cool. When the dish is cool enough, refrigerate for two to three hours, and use the parchment paper to remove from the baking dish. Cut into twelve bars with a sharp knife. I finely chopped two tablespoons of unsweetened coconut to sprinkle over the top of mine.

Just a few notes:

Make sure to use blanced almond flour for this recipe, not almond meal. I like Anthony's brand that I order from Amazon. Even though it's a small amount, don't skip the coconut flour; it's needed for its high absorbancy. Trader Joe's sells coconut flour for a very reasonable price.

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OTHER RECIPES FROM EVERYDAY, GRAIN-FREE BAKING THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE:

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Gluten-free Snickerdoodles

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Luscious Lemon Squares--A Recipe Review

Yield: 12 bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Whether you have a gluten intolerance or are just cutting over-processed grains from your diet, Luscious Lemon Bars are one dessert recipe that you will end up making over and over again.

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Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon coconut flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Lemon Curd Filling:

• 6 large egg yolks, room temperature
• ½ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (I used the zest of one lemon, a bit more than a teaspoon.)
• ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed, about 4 large lemons
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 315ºF, and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. First make the crust. Place the almond flour, butter, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times until small pellets form. Add the honey and vanilla, and pulse until a ball begins to form.
3. Turn off the food processor, and remove the blade. Remove the dough and press firmly and evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for eight to ten minutes until the dough begins to puff but is not yet brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
4. While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon curd filling.Whisk together the egg yolks, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small sauce pan. Heat the mixture over low heat adding the butter one tablespoon at a time until each is melted. Continue stirring over low heat until the lemon curd thickens to the consistency of a thin pudding.
5. Place the filling in the fridge until it is cool to the touch (about 20 minutes), then pour over the crust, and smooth with a spatula.
6. Bake at 315ºF for about twenty minutes until the filling is set and slightly puffy. Remove from the oven to a baking rack to cool. When the dish is cool enough, refrigerate for two to three hours.
7. Remove the bars from the fridge when completely cooled, and use the parchment paper to remove from the baking dish to a cut. Cut into twelve bars with a sharp knife.
8. Optional: Finely chop two tablespoons of unsweetened coconut to sprinkle over the top.

Notes

• Make sure to use blanced almond flour for this recipe, not almond meal. I like Anthony’s brand that I order from Amazon.
• Even though it’s a small amount, don’t skip the coconut flour; it’s needed for its high absorbancy. Trader Joe’s sells coconut flour for a very reasonable price.

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 276Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 131mgSodium 89mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 3gSugar 16gProtein 7g

Note: Nutritional information is an approximation. Different brands and/or quantities will change the nutrition profile.

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