Lemon Bars (Low-Carb, Grain-Free and Guilt-Free)

Adapted from a bit of this recipe and smidgen of this recipe, with dollop of Pihl flare.

I love lemons.

I like to eat them straight up, maybe with a dash of salt if I'm feeling edgy (much to my mother's chagrin).

Our recent trip to California provided me with a multitude of Meyer lemons - also known as the best lemons ever.  My aunt has a lemon tree in her backyard that tends to over-produce, leading to a "sharing is caring" philosophy on produce gifts within our family.  By the way, thanks for the lemons Aunt Erika!


Meyer lemons have a bit of an underlying sweetness to them and have a thinner skin than the typical lemon you can find at midwest grocery stores.  But don't rely on my opinion.  NPR posted a rundown of this delectable piece of citrus perfection.

Setting the stage...

Anyhow, after searching, planning, and finally executing, I was able to wrangle up the perfect low carb grain free lemon bar.  I know that they were perfect (for us) because Mr. Pihl looked at me after trying the first few bites saying, "These are good!  I mean, really good!  Like, AWARD-WINNING good!"

As a fair warning, I like my lemon bars on the lemon-y side of the dessert scale (meaning that these are not overly sweet).

Lastly, I experienced a bit of a mishap on my first round of trying this recipe out.  I feel compelled to share my numbskulled-ness with you, because you're my homeboy.  Or girl.

In this Pihl household, the aforementioned mishap consisted of: me placing the crust on top of the stove after removing it from the oven and... not discovering that the gas burner was still on from making dinner until 30 minutes -and one ruined crust- later.

Because I'm a genius.  Or an airhead.  Whatever.

Moving on... I doubled this recipe in a 9 x 13 inch pan, mainly because I'm a pig when it comes to dessert.  The recipe below and in an 8 x 8 pan should be sufficient for normal folks.  Unless of course you want to come to the dark side of dessert snobbery-meets-piggery.  In that case, grab a 9 x 13 inch pan, and join in the doubling my friends!

Anyhow, here's the secret!

You'll need:

For the Crust

• 8 x 8 inch baking pan (or a 9 x 13 pan for a doubled recipe)
• Baking spray
• 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup salted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/4 cup sugar substitute*** (See note below recipe)
• dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, butter, sugar substitute, and salt together with a fork.  Spray a baking pan with baking spray and press mixture into the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes (15 for a doubled recipe).  Allow to cool slightly before adding the lemon filling.


For the Lemon Filling

• 2 eggs
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 1/2 cups sugar substitute *** (See note below recipe)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• zest of one lemon

Mix the eggs, lemon juice, zest, and baking powder until well blended.  Pour into cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes (30-35 minutes for a doubled recipe).

Allow to cool to room temperature, and then chill in the refrigerator overnight before cutting into the bars.

Optional Powdered Topping

• 3 tablespoons sugar substitute***, powdered

In a Bullet-type blender or food processor, mill the sugar substitute until it has the consistency of powdered sugar.  Sift powder on top of the cooled and chilled lemon bars.

Serve and enjoy!

***We use a blend of 1/2 erythritol and 1/2 stevia in our baking.  Note on the erythritol: We have to blend it in our NutriBullet blender prior to baking in order to break down the size of the granules (otherwise the granules are too big and we can feel a sugary crunch when we enjoy the treats!).

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More lemon-bar-making photos that didn't make the cut into the main post:

What an unburnt crust should look like.

Zest = the essence of citrus desserts.

Finished product, pre-topping and pre-chilling.

Lastly, my mediocre attempt at food-staging.  Failure, I know.