Lemon Love
I love acid. I know that sounds bad, but if I could squeeze lemon juice on top of everything, I’d be happy. Lemon ANYTHING is my favorite. Lemon meringue pie is my favorite dessert (we served it at my wedding). And acidity really does help round out the flavors of a delicious meal, especially on a perfectly-cooked piece of salmon. So when Trader Joe’s started carrying Meyer Lemons for the winter (a sweeter version of a lemon), I had to make something super lemon-y. And in my book, that means lemon bars.
Even though my lemon bars are gluten-free, dairy-free (perfect for a Shabbos dessert) and low-carb (yay Keto-friendly), it doesn’t mean that these are without flavor. Quite the contrary. The perfectly crumbly golden crust and the sweet yet tart lemon filling, dusted with some powdered sugar (or I like to use powdered Swerve for a no-sugar alternative). It’s truly heaven in a square-shaped bite.
Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy!
I had a total craving for these lemon bars and luckily they’re only 5 ingredients so they’re super simple to whip up in no time! Just make sure that you give the crust a good 10 minutes to cool down before you pour the filling on top. And I doubt that anyone would know these AREN’T made with gluten, sugar or dairy!
Or, if you’re an acid lover like me, feel free to swap out the lemon (or Meyer lemons, in my case) with key lime! How can you go wrong with a key lime tart? Just the thought is making me daydream about sitting on the beach with a cocktail in hand and these bars stacked high on a plate in the other. So there is your cue to make these ASAP!
Happy eating my friends!
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil, or Betterine (margarine alternative) You can use butter if you want to make these dairy!
- 1 3/4 cup Almond Flour
- 1 cup Sugar, or Swerve sugar alternative
- 1 tbsp Powdered sugar, or Powdered Swerve, sugar alternative
- 1/2 cup Lemon juice, or juice from 3 lemons (or use Meyer Lemons like I did!), or use bottled
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tsp Lemon extract Optional, for an extra kick!
-
Pre-heat oven to 350F and line an 8x8" square baking pan with parchment paper
-
Mix melted coconut oil or Betterine in a bowl.
-
Add 1 cup of almond flour, 1/4 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix well
-
Pour into the pan and using (damp) hands, press the crust into the pan
-
Bake for 15-20 minutes (watch it carefully that it doesn't get too brown) and let cool for 10 minutes
-
In another medium-sized bowl, combine the lemon juice, extract (if using), eggs, 3/4 cup of sugar or Swerve, 3/4 cup of almond flour and a pinch of salt. Whisk together to smooth out any lumps in the batter
-
Pour filling onto cooled crust and bake for 22 minutes until just barely jiggly in the middle. I over-baked mine for 1-2 minutes which made it crack but that's okay, it's still delicious! Dust with powdered sugar or Swerve and cut into squares and enjoy!