Grain-Free Lemon Bars

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 3 pastured eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (2 small lemons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. A mixer should work as well.

Press the dough into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Bake for 15–20 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from heat and let cool quite a bit to set up.

Filling:

Heat the oven back to 350 degrees F and make sure it’s ready before you start mixing the ingredients. The baking powder will be affected if you wait to bake these.

Place all ingredients EXCEPT the baking powder in a food processor and combine. A mixer will work, but lemon zest will not be ground down and unnoticeable in bars. Add in the baking powder and pulse one last time.

Pour the filling over the crust and bake for about 25 minutes until crust is set. It shouldn’t get brown; it will feel stiff to touch.

Sift powdered sugar over the top. This is optional. Store in the refrigerator until serving.

Not a lemon person? Substitute the lemon juice and zest for lime.

*You can grind your own almond flour by placing whole almonds in a blender/food processor and blending until a meal consistency is reached.

Recipe and photo submitted by Kate, Highlands Ranch, CO.

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Gluten-Free Lemon, Coconut Cut-Out Cookies

Servings: 20–40 cookies, depending on size
Preparation Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews
• 15 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (I used a Microplane to grate it.)
• zest from 1 lemon (I used a Microplane to zest it.)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup arrowroot starch/flour
• 1 cup amaranth flour or quinoa flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum
• 1 cup finely shredded coconut

Directions:

Grind the cashews into a flour in a blender or a food processor. Add dates, oil, honey, both gingers, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pulse until everything is mixed into a sticky dough.

Sift/stir together flours, starch, baking soda, gum, and coconut. Start adding the flour to the food processor, pulsing to combine. When it is done, the dough will be quite thick and moist but not super sticky. You may notice it seems really oily; that’s okay. Put it in the fridge overnight or at least for three hours.

When ready to bake, remove dough from fridge and let sit 30 minutes. Set the oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Roll out the dough roughly 1/8 inch thick on a pastry mat. Cut it with cookie cutters and transfer it to the parchment paper.

Bake for 7–10 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cookies, rotating pans halfway through the baking time if baking more than one pan at time. Keep an eye on the oven and make sure not to overbake them. I baked until the edges just started to turn golden brown (9 minutes). Since they contain cashews and coconut, they will burn easily.

Recipe and photo submitted by Kim, Minneapolis, MN.

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Lemon, Coconut Meringues

Servings: 24 meringues
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites, at room temp
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 slightly rounded cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1–2 teaspoons lemon zest
• shredded, dried coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In large bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

Gradually sprinkle in sugar 2 tablespoons at a time at high speed. After all the sugar has been added, you may beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest or gently fold in later. Beat until meringue stands in stiff, glossy peaks. Add vanilla and lemon zest now if you didn’t add it earlier.

Drop meringue by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with a bit of shredded coconut.

Bake for 50–60 minutes or until dry to the touch. Remove to rack to cool.

Recipe courtesy of Sarah Shilhavy.

Recipe prepared by Sarah Shilhavy and photographed by Jeremiah Shilhavy.

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