Lemon Bars

LEMON BARS

Special occasion treats don’t get any better than lemon bars. This recipe, adapted from I Breath I’m Hungry, is everything you want it to be, plus low carb. The recipe tends to be more on the tart side, with a very rich, lemony flavor and the perfect buttery crust. If you like your lemon bars a bit sweeter, just add some stevia drops to your liking.

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

• 6 Tbsp Kerry Gold butter
• 2 cups fine, blanched almond flour
• 1/3 cup Swerve Granular
• 1 Tbsp loosely-packed, freshly-grated lemon zest (using a zester, not a grater)

(Zest 3 lemons (before juicing them) using 1 Tbsp for crust and the rest for the filling)

FILLING

• 1/2 cup Kerry Gold butter
• 1/2 Swerve Granular
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• Remaining lemon zest from above
• 6 pastured egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum*
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin – like Great Lakes Gelatin (grass fed)

INSTRUCTIONS

CRUST

Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the almond flour, Swerve and lemon zest and stir until well combined.

Line an 8×8 inch square pan with foil so you can easily lift the bars out to cut. Press the dough evenly along the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool while making the filling.

FILLING

Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the Swerve, lemon juice and zest until dissolved.

Whisk in the egg yolks and return to the stove over low heat, whisking until the curd thickens (it should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but thin enough to pour to strain).

Remove from the heat and strain out the zest into a bowl.  Whisk in the xanthan gum and gelatin until dissolved and smooth.

Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust and spread out evenly. Bake at 350⁰F for 15 minutes. Remove and cool.

Sprinkle with powdered Swerve, if desired.

*Xanthan gum is available in small packets at Health Nut Nutrition or in bags in the healthy food department at Kroger or Walmart. A little goes a long way, so you will have it a long time.