Lemon coconut bars?! Count me in!
With a little bit of sweet and a little bit of tart, these sunny lemon coconut bars are the perfect winter pick-me up.
Going with the spirit of these light and lively bars, I cut out the heavy butter and white sugar in the filling- don’t worry, they are still mouth watering!
My sis was skeptical at first because she hates coconut, but then I won her over. She thought that the crust tasted like shortbread and the filling was similar to a lemony custard.
What kind of goodies do you like to make with winter citrus?
Lemon Coconut Bars notes:
-These bars are best eaten warm, straight from the pan! If you store them overnight, the crust soaks up all the moisture and gets a bit spongy. Still delicious though!
-Lemons can protect against cancer. Out of eleven fruits, lemons were the second best (after cranberries) to stop liver cancer cells from growing.
- 4.5 tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
- 2.5 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- dash of sea salt
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2.5 eggs
- 8 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tbsp lemon zest (approx. 1 lemon)
- 8 tsp almond flour
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the coconut oil in a pan on low heat. Once it has melted, add 1.5 tbsp maple syrup, coconut oil, shredded coconut, sea salt, and ½ cup almond flour. Mix thoroughly and remove the pan from the heat. Add 1 egg white (save the yolk for step 2 below) to the mixture while stirring.
- Pour the sticky mixture into a baking dish lined with parchment paper and flatten it against the paper to make the crust.
- Bake the crust for approx 10 minutes, remove it from the oven, and let it cool.
- To make the filling, mix 1.5 eggs along with 1 egg yolk in a mixer until they become frothy. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining almond flour, and 3 tbsp of maple syrup. Whisk for another minute until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Pour the filling over the crust and bake for another 15 minutes until edges turn light brown and filling becomes firm.
- Let the bars cool and then dust with powdered sugar!
Lemons bars are my weakness, I’m excited to try this coconut variation and have pinned for later!
Thanks for pinning, Emily! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
My son would love these, he loves to eat lemons!
Thanks Michelle! Hope your son enjoys them!
Oh yummy, I never get lemon flavor to taste right, I’m totally trying this!!!
Thanks Sam, I think you’ll love this recipe! 🙂
My husband has been asking for lemon bars! This recipe came just in time!
Thanks Lauren, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Love lemon bar!! This sound great.
Thanks, lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts too!
Love this concept. I’ll bet you don’t even notice the lack of butter. Do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
Thanks Laura! I used unsweetened so that way I can control the sweetness with the maple syrup 🙂
Oh that combination of maple, almond, and lemon… yum!
Thank you, Marye!
Love lemon bars and coconut. Will try recipe!
Thanks Barbara!
if I used whole wheat flour instead of almond flour, would it still be the same amount? thanks! I look forward to making these lemon bars : D
Hi Jen, I haven’t tried it with whole wheat flour. It might not work since the two flours have different textures and densities. If you do try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂