Paleo Lemon Bars
Paleo Lemon Bars, Grain free, Dairy Free, Egg Free!
The lemon bars are a delicious alternative for people sensitive to gluten, dairy and eggs. Also no refined sugar! They're just sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup.
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 2/3 cup coconut oil
Lemon curd
- 1 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
- 2/3 cup powdered coconut sugar ***make by combining 1 cup of coconut sugar with 2 TBS arrowroot powder in a food processor until a soft powder forms.
- 2 tbs arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
Make the shortbread crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper (make sure the parchment paper comes over the sides slightly so you can lift the lemon bars out once they are done)
- Combine coconut flour and salt in a mixing bowl using the paddle attachment. Add in maple syrup and coconut oil until a large dough ball forms. You can use you hands to bring the dough fully together and get out any lumps.
- Press the dough into your pan and pierce with a fork so that the dough doesn't rise, and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. While the crust is baking you can start making the lemon curd.
Make the lemon curd
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk to a small saucepan and whisk in the arrowroot starch, gelatin powder, and powdered coconut sugar until smooth, making sure there are no lumps.
- Whisk in the rest of the coconut milk (1/2 cup), lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and heat over medium-low heat, whisking regularly, until it thickens (about 10-15 minutes).
- Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture stays smooth as it cools. It should be similar in texture to pudding, but not quite as thick. The color will be brown from the coconut powdered sugar.
Assembling the bars
- The crust and the filling should both be cooled well before adding the filling onto the crust. It will take about 35 minutes for the filling and crust to cool enough to assemble the bars.
- Pour the lemon filling onto the baked crust, smooth it out, and place it in the fridge uncovered until the filling is completely set (about 4 hours). Leaving it uncovered is important to prevent condensation on the top of the bars. For best results, leave overnight!
- Once the filling has set completely, take it out of the fridge and leave it at room temp for about 30 minutes before cutting (this makes it easier to cut the shortbread crust).
- Pull the bars out by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper and place onto a cutting board. Cut into small squares.
- Since the bars are brown from the coconut sugar, garnish with lemon slices for presentation.
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