Lemon Squares

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST:

• 1 cup / 140 grams Otto’s Naturals cassava flour ((if not weighing, whisk your flour before scooping))

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest ((make sure to zest before juicing!))

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

• 6 tablespoons butter, (or cold ghee or palm shortening)

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 1 egg white ((reserve the yolk for the filling))

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 egg yolk

• 4 whole eggs

• ½ cup lemon juice, or lime, or a combo ((make sure to zest before juicing!))

• 1 cup honey

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest 

• 3 tablespoons Otto’s Naturals cassava flour

• powdered sugar for dusting, (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE CRUST:

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease an 8×8 baking dish. Line with parchment paper and then grease the parchment. (see photos below)

2. In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the cassava flour, lemon zest, and sea salt a couple of times to mix.

3. Add the butter and pulse 8-10 times, or until the mixture is the texture of coarse crumbs.

4. Add the honey and egg white and turn it on for a few seconds, so the mixture just starts to come together. Scrape down the sides and turn on again, until the mixture comes together into a ball. (Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor, you can cut in the butter with a pastry cutter and mix in the remaining ingredients by hand.)

5. Press the dough into the prepared pan, bringing the sides up about an inch.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until it’s just dry to the touch.

MEANWHILE MAKE THE FILLING:

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together the filling ingredients.

2. Make sure the filling is well blended, and then pour the filling into the warm par-baked crust. Return to the oven for 18-22 minutes, until just set.

3. Allow to cool completely before using the parchment to pull it out of the pan. Cut as desired and dust with powdered sugar, if using.

VEGAN LEMON BARS

INGREDIENTS

For the Crust:

• 1 cup Almonds

• 1 cup Rolled Oats

• 2 tbsp Ground Flax + 5 tbsp Filtered Water

• 1 tbsp Maple Syrup

• 1/2 tsp Salt

For the Filling:

• 2 cups Cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours*

• ½ cup Lemon Juice (about 3 lemons)

• Zest of 1 Lemon

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• ¼ cup + 3 tbsp Maple Syrup

• 2 tbsp Arrowroot Powder

• ⅛ tsp Turmeric (Optional, for color only)

• ¼ tsp Salt

• Optional: Vegan Powdered Sugar, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the Ground Flax, Water, and Maple Syrup together in a small bowl; whisk well, then set aside to let thicken for 5 minutes.

2. In the meantime, add the remaining crust ingredients to a high-speed blender and process over a low speed until finely ground. Add the thickened Flax “Egg”, then pulse until a thick dough forms.

3. Line a 9×9” pan with Parchment Paper, then use your fingers to firmly and evenly press the Crust into the base of the pan. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

4. In the meantime, prepare the Lemon Bar filling by blending all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Use a spatula to evenly spread this mixture over the Base, then return the Lemon Bars to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. The edges of the bar will be slightly firm and pull away from the tin; the bars may look slightly runny in the center, but keep in mind that the mixture will thicken as it cools.

5. Let the bars cool completely in the baking tin, then use the parchment paper to cleanly remove them and transfer to a flat surface to slice into squares. Top with Powdered Sugar if desired, then serve and enjoy. Leftovers will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to one week.

NOTES

• Ground Flax may be substituted with ground Chia Seeds.

• Maple Syrup can be replaced with another liquid sweetener of choice.

• I would not suggest replacing the Arrowroot Powder in this recipe; Cornstarch will make the bars too firm, and Tapioca Flour will make them too gummy.

• If you forget to soak your Cashews ahead of time, you can either boil them for a few minutes until tender, or pop them in the good ol’ microwave with some water for 2-3 minutes.

• Not all Powdered Sugar is Vegan, but you can easily make your own by blending White Sugar at a high speed for 10-20 seconds until a fine powder forms.

Other ways to use your lemons:

coconut flour only!

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1/2 Cup Coconut oil, at room temperature (should be the consistency of softened butter)

• 2 Tbsp Monkfruit *

• Pinch of salt

• 1 Cup Coconut flour, sifted (95g) **

For the topping:

• 4 Eggs

• 2 tsp Lemon zest

• 3/4 Cup Fresh lemon juice (about 6 large juicy lemons)

• 1/2 Cup Monkfruit

• 1 1/2 tsp Coconut flour, sifted

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and generously rub an 8x8 inch pan with coconut oil. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the monkfruit, coconut oil and pinch of salt until creamy and well combined. Stir in the coconut flour until a dough forms.

3. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake until just lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Once cooked, let cool for 30 minutes.

4. Lower the temperature of your oven to 325 degrees  and ensure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.

5. Once the crust has cooled, gently whisk together the eggs and lemon zest in a large bowl. Do NOT use an electric mixer here or you will over-beat the eggs and the topping with crack once baked. Use a hand whisk.

6. In a separate, medium bowl, lightly heat the lemon juice (I used a microwave.) Whisk in the monkfruit and stir until it is dissolved. Whisk the coconut flour into the lemon juice mixture, 1/2 tsp at a time, until well mixed. Make sure you continually whisk as you add the flour so that it doesn't clump up.

7. Pour the lemon juice mixture into the egg mixture, whisking while you pour, until evenly combined.

8. Pour the topping over top of the cooled crust and bake until it is just set, and the very center is just slightly jiggly, about 20-22 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, best over-night. You need to let the crust completely cool, or it will be soft.

9. Using a VERY sharp knife (or else you might not cut through the crust) cut the bars into squares and DEVOUR. ***

Recipe Notes

*See blog post for notes on other sweeteners

**As with all GF baking, please weigh your flour to ensure results

*** The first bar is a little difficult to get out, so be gentle! But, once one is out, it's smooth sailing!

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