These Paleo, gluten, & egg free lemon bars have a soft but sturdy shortbread-like crust and a soft, creamy, cheesecake-like filling. They're A-mazing!!!!
*For coconut cream, place a can of full-fat canned coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours, then scoop out the coagulated cream. Thai Kitchen, Native Forest, and Sprouts Brand work well for this. Also, I have successfully used a "gelatin egg" in place of the "flax egg" in the crust.
½CupCoconut Oilmelted (use refined for no coconut taste if desired)
½CupFRESH Lemon Juiceabout 5 large lemons
Zest of 2 Lemonsabout 1 Tbsp
½CHoney or Maple Syrup for Vegan
1CupCoconut Cream*
1Tbsp.Pure Vanilla
2pinchesSea Salt
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine the ground flax seeds with the warm water and set aside to thicken.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, and salt. Add the coconut oil and cut it in with 2 forks until well combined. Mix in the honey or maple syrup, flax egg, and vanilla. If mixture is too crumbly to hold together, add cold water if needed one tablespoon at a time (I added 2 Tbsp. of water).
If you are making the crust ahead of time, simply wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you are ready to use it. It can be kept in the fridge for up to two days. If not, press the dough into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish and prick with a fork several times. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, place the crust in the freezer.
Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside and cool completely.
Filling:
Cover the cashews in hot or boiling water and allow to soak for 1 hour to soften. Drain off water.
Add the cashews along with all remaining filling ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour into cooled crust.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably 8, to set up.
Dust the top with powdered sugar, tapioca flour, or arrowroot flour.