Plan: (Maintenance)
Serving information: Makes 12 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.