My entire life is patched together by a series of lists.
There’s the work to-do lists that litter my desk in piles; the ongoing grocery list in my iPhone notes; my recipe ingredient lists filling notebooks that clutter the counters of the kitchen, within arm’s reach for when inspiration strikes and marked with spills and stains of every assortment; and then there’s the secret list of things that I imagine accomplishing one day. Dreams that refuse to leave me alone, no matter how hard I try to ignore the
These lists keep my hours productive and my life on track, and for that I’m grateful.
There are times, however, when I’d like to gather all my lists into a great big pile and drop a fiery match onto it in order to relive the carefree oblivion of my youth.
Biting into a Lemon Bar is like turning back the hands of time to revisit what it felt like to not care about how productive a day would be, simply enjoying the moment instead. It’s one of the first desserts that I attempted to make free of grains, gluten, dairy, and cane sugar back in 2009, so it holds a special place in my heart. Even now, when I take one bite and I can feel a whole new world of delicious, wholesome possibilities open up before me.
With no refined sugar or our, you can enjoy this delicately sweet treat without worrying about adding an extra workout to your list.
Just close your eyes, take a bite, and allow time to stand still.
Note: Feel free to play around with the amount of honey in this recipe. It’s meant to be tart, which is perfect if your palate has been off refined sugar for 30 days or more. If you’re new to wholesome desserts, though, just add a little more honey or supplement with stevia to ease the transition.
3 cups blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup raw honey
6 eggs
⅔ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Lemon Zest
2 tablespoons coconut flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with coconut oil and lightly dust with coconut flour. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour and salt. In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, raw honey, extracts, and lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.
Combine all of the lemon layer ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Pour the filling over the baked crust and bake for another 15–20 minutes, or until just beginning to brown on top. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 2 hours until set. Cut into 30 bars and serve.
Calories: 121
Fat: 9g
Carbohydrates: 8g
Sodium: 74mg
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 4g
Sugar: 5g