Recipe Collection: Whole Grain Lemon Bars

Written by Sara Shay

Lemon bars have always been a special treat. Refreshing, tart, and just plain yummy. You know how sometimes you just can’t wait to bite into what you’ve just made? Well, a few years ago, I discovered how good warm lemon bars are, and now, I impatiently wait for my lemon bars to come out of the oven to taste them fresh out of the oven — even if I burn my mouth a little!

This recipe is a little untraditional. I’ve never been good at making pastry dough, so the crust is made from a super simple shortbread dough, which works just as well and is still delicious!

Whole Grain Lemon Bars

Shortbread Crust Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sucanat brown sugar
• 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour

 Lemon Bar Filling Ingredients:

• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (or juice of 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour (for bars, which are a little firmer, double this)

Directions:

Step 1: Make the crust by creaming the room temperature butter with the sucanat brown sugar.

Step 2: Slowly mix in 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour. Once the dough has pulled together, it is ready.

Step 3: Press your crust into your pie dish, casserole dish, or whatever you are using (you can even do individual portions in a muffin or mini muffin tin.

Step 4: Blind Bake this for about 8 minutes at 300ºF – just as it is browning.

Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow to cool. While cooling, start preparing the lemon bar filling.

Step 6: Whisk together all filling ingredients.

Step 7: Make sure your crust is fully cooled before adding the filling (if you add it to a warm crust, you will get a soggy result).

Step 8: Fill your shell. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350ºF.

Step 9: Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve this warm, gooey deliciousness.

What are some of your favorite healthier treats?