Can you believe it's been nearly a week since I posted a recipe laden with fat and sugar? Who's running this blog, anyway? To put the earth back on its axis, I'll share my recipe for the lemon squares I made yesterday for my mom, who generally avoids dairy and wheat.
Lemon Squares (Gluten- and Dairy-Free)
Yields one 9 x 13" pan of lemony goodness
For the walnut shortbread crust:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour or rice flour
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold
For the lemon filling:
4 eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons rice flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon (tip: zest one of your lemons before juicing it)
Powdered sugar for decorating
Make the walnut shortbread crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly coat a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, walnuts and salt. Rub in the shortening with your fingers, working quickly. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal and just come together between your fingers. Press it evenly into the bottom of the prepared dish and about a half inch up the sides. Chill for 10 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Bake on center oven rack for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Make lemon filling while crust bakes:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, rice flour and cornstarch. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk to combine. Repeat with the eggs.
3. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared shortbread crust. (A handy tip is to pour the filling directly into the hot crust without removing the pan from the oven, but please be careful.) Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for about 20 minutes or until the filling is set.
Allow to cool completely before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
