Lemon Bars - Whole Grain Gourmet

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We love whole grains! We have found that we prefer their flavor. They are also far healthier than the refined foods which characterize the typical modern diet.

Switching to whole grains helps maintain a low glycemic diet. That means you will have more sustainable energy levels throughout the day, and probably fewer problems with weight control.

We created this website with one goal: to build an online community of like-minded people who either share our enthusiasm about whole grains or just want to learn more about them.

Recipes

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Lemon Bars

Recipes

Lemon Bars

Written by Zen Baker

Thursday, 03 March 2011 05:00

Lemon Bar

The nice weather that we had on the East Coast for TWO days had me daydreaming about our time in Hawaii and the best lemon bars ever from a little bakery in Honolulu. I was so inspired I came up with my own lemon bar recipe and, I must say, these bars are fabulously good!!!! The shortbread crust and the zesty lemon filling combine to create an addictive treat. WARNING: The entire pan was gone in half an hour. We could not eat just one.

I decided to blend whole wheat pastry flour with white whole wheat flour to create the ultimate crust. I wanted the delicateness that the pastry flour would provide, but I didn't want a very crumbly crust so I added the white whole wheat flour too. I used Meyer lemons because it's what I had at home, but you can also use a regular lemon. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. They are a little sweeter and less acidic than a regular lemon.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients :

The crust

1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

The filling

2 eggs
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, about 1 medium lemon
2 teaspoons grated Meyer lemon zest, about 2 medium lemons
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
Organic powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.
Finely grind hazelnuts in a food processor with 1 teaspoon sugar. The sugar prevents the hazelnuts from becoming a paste in the food processor.
Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light. Add flour, salt, and ground hazelnuts and beat until incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
Press the dough evenly into the baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is a very light brown.
It is important to add the filling to the hot crust so while the crust is baking, prepare the filling.
Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour. When the crust is ready, pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is set. Cool completely before cutting into triangles. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator.

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