Healthy Lemon Bars (with No Refined Sugar)

With the spread of COVID-19 rapidly increasing, it is important to boost your immune system. Especially when you and your kids are stuck at home to practice social distancing, what better way to spend time than to make a citrusy dessert like lemon bars together! These healthy lemon bars are not only easy to make with your kids, but they also include Vitamin C which helps build up your immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells.

Ingredients: (Makes about 9 bars)

For the Crust:

• 1/4 cup of raw honey
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil, softened (can be substituted with olive oil or most any other oil)
• 1/8 tsp of sea salt
• 1 cup of spelt flour (or substitute with almost any other low-gluten flour or whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup almond meal (or substitube with almost any other nut meal or seed meal)

• 4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp raw honey (or substitute with regular honey or maple syrup)
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 tbsp arrowroot starch (or substitute 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, or 2 teaspoons of Cornstarch, or 1 1/2 teaspoons of mashed potato flakes)
• 3 tbsp spelt flour
• 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (which is approx. 2 1/2 lemons)

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and greasing a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan with coconut oil, then set aside.
2. To make the crust, in a large bowl, combine the raw honey, softened coconut oil, and sea salt and blend using a hand mixer, stand mixer or a spoon until creamy.
3. Slowly add in spelt flour and almond meal, and continue to mix until a dough forms.
4. Press the flour mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish and bake until lightly golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool, about 20-30 minutes.
6. Lower the oven temperature 325 degrees F and grab another mixing bowl.
7. In a separate mixing bowl, add the eggs, raw honey and lemon zest and gently whisk together to create the topping.
8. Next, slowly add in the arrowroot starch and spelt flour until well mixed so no clumps remain.
9. Pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice into the egg mixture, and whisk until evenly combined.
10. Once the crust has completely cooled, carefully pour the lemon-egg mixture over top of the cooled crust and place back in the oven.
11. Bake until the topping is just set, and the center is just slightly jiggly, about 24-26 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature.
13. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably over-night.
14. Once completely cooked, cut into into squares and enjoy!