Recipe: Vegan Lemon Bars
Tangy and light, these vegan lemon bars make a delicious dessert, particularly when served with coconut vegan ice cream. Using xylitol helps keep the overall sugar content down. These can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Why they’re good for you:
Using almonds and gluten-free oats in the base keeps these bars gluten-free and provides slow-releasing carbs, healthy fats and protein to help balance blood sugar levels, keeping you energised.
Ingredients
Filling
- 125g cashew nuts soaked in warm water for 4 hours then drained
- 225g coconut cream – the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp cornflour
- 125ml Lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- zest of 2 lemons
- Pinch sea salt
- 60g xylitol
- 1tbsp maple syrup
Base
- 125g gluten-free oats
- 125g ground almonds
- pinch of sea salt
- 3tbsp xylitol
- 100g coconut oil, melted
- 1tsp vanilla extract
Method
Makes: 16 bars
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
- Line a 20cm square baking tin with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 190C, gas mark 5.
- Add the oats, almonds, sea salt, xylitol to a food processor and blitz until fine. Add the remaining ingredients and blend briefly to form a soft dough. If too crumbly add a dash of water.
- Spoon the mixture into the baking tin and press down firmly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 180C and bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven.
- For the filling blend all the ingredients together in a high-speed blender until smooth and
- creamy.
- Pour the filling over the crust and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until just firm.
- Allow the bar to cool completely then place in the fridge for 3-4 hours to firm up.
- Cut into squares to serve
Note:
You could swap the almonds in the base for another nut – walnuts and pecans are particularly good. Cut the bar into squares and freeze. You could serve this as a frozen dessert if wished.
Christine Baile an award-winning functional nutritionist, chef and author who has over 14 health and recipe books to her name. To discover more of her recipes and buy her books visit christinebailey.co.uk