I recently have had several people message me asking for a good Lemon Bar recipe..which I realized with shock that I had never posted before! HOW did I manage to miss something so important?? Who doesn’t love a good Lemon Bar??

Then being me..I had to take things to the extreme because I cant stand when anyone gets left out due to dietary restrictions or allergies. So, I went wild and tested out 3 different shortbread crust recipes and 4 different topping recipes!

I ended up having for you 3 shortbread crust recipes to choose from- One using Almond Flour (this one is low carb and will work best for the Keto crowd!). The next uses Cassava flour and is Autoimmune Paleo by Default, and the 3rd Uses Rice Flour and is perfect for those with Nut Allergies. All three are great, so you’ll end up with a great crust no matter which you select.

THEN- for your topping you have 4 different options. You can go with Classic lemon Bars, Tangerine Bars, Strawberry Kiwi Bars (which are particularly fun in the summer!) OR Cranberry Orange Bars that I highly recommend making around the Holidays!

ON Top of that I decided to create a Fully Keto/ Sugar Free classic lemon bar recipe using Eggs as the base & AND I also made a classic gluten free version that uses eggs. All of the variations can be found here in club Angell plus! Pick whichever one works best for you- they all taste great!!

This particular round up of lemon & other fruit bars uses gelatin! Which of course results in a bit of a different texture than eggs do! But in my opinion its just as good. All of these bars reminded me more of a creamy custard on shortbread.

Lets talk about Sugar

Each topping recipe comes with Notes to use Honey Or Stevia! Stevia, for sugar free or Honey which is a good option for the AIP diet. You could also sub out the Honey for Agave Nectar or another liquid sugar free syrup if thats your preference.

PLEASE NOTE: You’ll notice I called for the Stevia in grams.. typically one packet of stevia is 1 gram. So for example if you see I call for 8 grams of stevia that would be 8 packets of stevia!

When the bars are ready to be served- you can let them be what they are (as they are all a really lovely color!) or you can top them with slices of fruit or powdered sugar. If you are going the sugar free route Swerve has a great sugar free powdered sugar!

Grain & Egg Free Lemon Bars! (+ 3 Bonus Flavors: Tangerine, Strawberry Kiwi & Cranberry Orange)

Yield: 16 Bars

Author: Brittany Angell

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This recipe is a really fun pick your own adventure with guaranteed results no matter which direction you choose! Most lemon bars use eggs- so I wanted to come up with an assortment of flavors/crusts that could be made egg free! If you prefer to use eggs over gelatin- please check out the keto or classic lemon bar recipes also posted here in the club!

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust Option #1 (Almond Flour Based)

2 Cups Blanched Almond Flour (2 cups) (288g)
1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar (Organic Cane, Granulated Honey or granulated alluose ) * The other unrefined sugars will darken the color of the crust. If this doesn’t bother you feel free to use any of them. The key here is that it must be a granulated variety. Powdered sugar or powdered Swerve works too!
1 stick of salted butter (8 tbsp) cut into chunks.
⅛ Tsp. Salt
¼ Tsp. Baking Powder (I used double acting)
1 TBS Vanilla Extract (Or lemon extract OR rum extract!)

Shortbread Crust Option #2 (Cassava Flour Based)

2 cups of Otto’s Cassava Flour (268 grams)
1 cup butter (2 sticks) or ghee or coconut oil chilled.
½ cup granulated sugar such as granulated honey or granulated maple sugar (Organic Cane, Granulated Honey or granulated alluose)

Lemon Bar Filling (option 1)

In a small sauce pan over medium heat warm up 2 cups of coconut cream or heavy cream. While the cream heats, place 1 tbsp of grass fed gelatin into a large bowl with ¼ cup of very hot water and whisk to combine. To the bowl add the warmed cream and whisk, then add 3.5 tbsp honey or 7g stevia, 3 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp sea salt and the zest of 1 lemon and whisk to combine. Pour into cooled shortbread crust and place in fridge for at least 3 hours to set. Once set, garnish with lemon.

Tangerine Bar Filling (optional 2)

In a small sauce pan over medium heat warm up 2 cups ofcoconut cream or heavy cream. While the cream heats, place 1 tbsp of grass fed gelatin into a large bowl with ¼ cup of very hot tangerine or orange juice and whisk to combine. To the bowl add the warmed cream and whisk, then add 4 tbsp honey or 8g stevia, 3 tbsp tangerine or orange juice, 1 tbsp orange extract,½ tsp sea salt and the zest of 1 tangerine and whisk to combine. Pour into cooled shortbread crust and place in fridge for at least 3 hours to set.

Strawberry Kiwi Filling (option 3)

In a small sauce pan, bring to a boil 2 ¼ cups of coconut cream or heavy cream, 1 tbsp of grass fed gelatin, 4 tbsp honey or 8g stevia, ½ tsp sea salt and whisk to combine. Add 2 ½ cups chopped strawberries, bring mixture to a boil, and mash strawberries until they cook down, about 20 minutes. Pour into cooled shortbread crust and place in fridge for at least 3 hours to set. Once set, garnish with kiwi slices.

Cranberry Orange Filling (option 4)

In a small sauce pan, bring to a boil 2 cups of coconut cream or heavy cream, 1 tbsp of grass fed gelatin, 5 tbsp honey or 10g stevia, ⅓ cup of orange juice, 1 tbsp orange extract, and 1 ¾ cups of fresh cranberries. Boil the cranberries until they ‘pop,’ shrivel and turn the mixture red. Strain the mixture, pour into cooled shortbread crust, and place in fridge for at least 3 hours to set.

Instructions

Choose your crust & then your filling flavor!
Start by making the shortbread crust! Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine shortbread crust ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. (This can also be done by hand).
Select a square pan between 7-8 inches wide. (I used a 7x7).
Place a piece of parchment paper in the pan so that it also covers the sides. (This parchment will be your means of removing the bars).
Press the crumbly shortbread dough into the bottom of the pan evenly.
Bake for 20-22 minutes if making the almond flour crust OR 25-30 minutes if making the cassava flour crust- until golden and lightly brown on the edges.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in its pan before adding the filling. Shortbread will harden as it cools. You may place it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
While it cools- make your filling (following the directions above!) Pour over the cooled crust! Cover with ceran wrap & allow to set up for at least 3 hours (or overnight!) Decorate with fruit or powdered sugar! Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container or freeze for another day.