A healthy rendition of one of my personal favorites, the traditional lemon bars with shortbread crust. I am not the type of girl that craves chocolate, but would rather indulge in a pastry made with fruit or nuts, and this little gem hits the spot, satisfying my ever incessant sweet tooth! The chewy crust is a bit unusual incorporating an egg white, but it lends itself as a binder without adding additional fat, complemented by the tangy custard, these bares are sweet, but not too sweet. One dessert you should never feel guilty about savoring until the last crumb.

Crust

2 ½ Tbsp. Coconut Oil

2 Tbsp. Honey

1 cup Shredded Coconut, toasted

½ cup Spelt Flour or Quinoa Flour (gluten free)

¼ tsp Ground Cardamom

Pinch Sea Salt

1 Eggs White

Filling

4 Whole Eggs+ 1 Egg Yolks

¼ cup Greek Yogurt

½ cup Honey

1/3 cup Fresh Lemon Juice

1 TBSP Lemon Zest

1/3 cup Coconut Flour

Pinch Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9″ x 5″ glass cake pan with parchment paper (this will make the bars much easier to remove from the pan). Melt the coconut oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.

Add the honey, shredded coconut, spelt flour, cardamom and salt. Mix until well combined and remove from the heat. Add the egg white (saving the yolk for later!) and stir. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, start preparing the filling. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and egg yolk until frothy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat for two additional minutes. Pour the filling over the baked crust and bake for 19 – 21 minutes or until the center is set.

Let the bars cool completely, sprinkle with powder sugar or dust with shredded coconut, cut and serve.