Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Lemon Coconut Bars
I was going to save these gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free lemon bars for next week. After sharing the photo on Facebook and reading your comments I just couldn’t make you wait.
But First, Have Lunch With Me…
Tomorrow (Friday, April 8th) from 12 – 1 pm CST I’m going to be on Twitter chatting about my new book and giving away 5 copies during a ZipList Lunch.
Here’s all the details you need to chat with me:
- Follow me on Twitter: @Amys_SSGF
- Follow ZipList on Twitter: @ZipList (they’re hosting the event)
- Use this hash tag when you tweet: #ZipListLunch
So brown-bag it on Friday and we’ll talk food, SS&GF style.
Now back to the lemon bars…
You’ll love the way the crust melts in your mouth, followed by the perfect balance of sweet-tart lemony custard filling.
Joe doesn’t like coconut. I love it. Since there’s just two of us that eat whatever comes out of my kitchen, I try to stick with foods we both like. I couldn’t resist making these bars, though. And, what do you know – Joe liked them so much he ate not one but three. (So did I…)
I took the rest of my lemon coconut bars to a local speaking gig I had. A group of seniors who definitely aren’t gluten-free gobbled them all up.
Other Gluten-Free Lemon Recipes:
- Lemon & Almond Polenta Cake from Joy the Baker
- Lemon Meringue Frozen Yogurt from SS&GF
- Lemon Dill Salmon from A Year of Slow Cooking
- Lemon Earl Grey Cookies from Tasty Eats at Home
What are your favorite spring recipes? If you’re reading this in an email, click over to SimplySugarAndGlutenFree.com and let me know what you’re craving & cooking up now that the weather is warmer.
Lemon Coconut Bars
makes about 24 (2 x 2) barsFor the crust:
1 1/2 cups (176 grams) sorghum flour
1/2 cup (70 grams) sunflower seeds, roasted & unsalted
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup (98 grams) organic coconut oil
1 tablespoon (12 grams) palm sugar (a.k.a. coconut palm sugar)For the custard layer:
4 extra-large (220 grams) eggs
1/2 cup (156 grams) local honey
1/4 teaspoon liquid vanilla stevia
1 tablespoon (8 grams) arrowroot starch/flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated on a microplane
1/2 cup (102 grams) fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup (55 grams) unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup (44 grams) finely shredded unsweetened coconutPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Put the sorghum flour, sunflower seeds, and xanthan gum in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until the sunflower seeds are finely chopped. Add the coconut oil and palm sugar and pulse until the mixture is a crumbly meal, much like a pie crust. Do not overprocess. Press the crumbly mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden brown.
While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Put the eggs in the food processor (no need to wash the bowl) and pulse several times until the yolks are broken. Add the honey, stevia, arrowroot, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond milk. Pulse several times, about one second each, until thoroughly combined. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust then sprinkle the shredded coconut evenly over the top.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the center of the lemon bars are set. Let cool completely then cut into squares approximately 2 x 2 inches each. Store in the refrigerator.
Note on Ingredients: I linked to the products used in this recipe to make them easy for you to find and so you can see what the packaging looks like. There is also a list of the ingredients I use regularly on my Resources page.
