Winter

Gluten & Dairy Free Meyer Lemon Bars with Gingersnap Crust

by:
January 16, 2012
4.5
4 Ratings
  • Makes 1 8x8 pan of lemon bars
Author Notes

Each year I wait for Meyer Lemons to show up in the produce section so I can make lemon curd. Last year I had an idea to combine two of my favorite things, lemon and ginger. Instead of a shortbread crust I used crushed gluten free gingersnaps. It made such a difference. I did some researching and cataloguing of the different ratios of egg, lemon juice, sugar, butter, flour, etc. I found that butter clouded the curd and using less sugar made the Meyer Lemon flavor shine. I also refuse to add any additional powdered sugar on top because again, it just takes away from that wonderful lemon flavor that only makes a short appearance each winter. —AdinaM

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 7 ounces gluten free gingersnap cookies
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons Meyer Lemon zest, about 10 small lemons
  • 1 cup fresh Meyer Lemon juice, about 10 small lemons
  • 7 egg yolks
  • 2 whole eggs
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Line an 8x8 glass baking dish with parchment paper.
  3. In a food processor whirl the gingersnaps until they have been completely and uniformly crushed crushed into small crumbs.
  4. In a medium bowl combine the crushed gingersnaps, egg white, and coconut oil. Mix until a ball of dough forms.
  5. Press the dough into lined baking dish, making sure to flatten the surface evenly. I used the bottom of a measuring cup to do this.
  6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is firm and the edges have begun to darken.
  7. While the crust is baking, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl.
  8. Add the lemon zest and juice and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  9. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together well.
  10. Add to the lemon and sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
  11. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes or until the lemon curd has begun to pull away from the sides of the baking dish. The center should be well set and shouldn't jiggle much when touched.
  12. Allow to cool completely and chill in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
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1 Review

dfcourtright August 15, 2012
this was awesome! just make sure not to let your gingersnap crust cool too much (or at all) or it will float to the top when you bake it. this is why you make sure you have all your ingredients before baking, so you don't have to go to the grocery store mid way through to get corn starch! i'd recommend a microplane for zesting the lemons -- i used a larger teethed zester and the strips were a little big. great recipe for my GF DF boyfriend!