Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- ½ C Vegan Butter, melted
- ¼ C Sugar
- 1 t Vanilla Extract
- 1 C All-purpose Flour
Filling
- 1-⅓ C Sugar
- 2 T Cornstarch
- 1-½ t Agar-agar powder
- 1-⅓ C Unsweetened Soy Milk
- 1-¼ C Lemon Juice
- Zest of one large lemon
- ¼ t Turmeric for color
- 1 t Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 T Powdered Sugar for dusting
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat your oven to 325°. Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides so the bars are easy to remove from the pan.
- In a medium bowl, add the melted vegan butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Lastly add the flour and mix to make a firm dough. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press with your fingers to firmly pack and evenly spread the dough.
- Bake for 17 - 19 minutes until the dough is golden around the edges.
Filling
- Add the sugar, cornstarch, and agar-agar powder to pan and whisk to combine. Add the soy milk, lemon juice, zest, and turmeric and whisk. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk often while simmering until the lemon filling gets thick, translucent, and bright yellow, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the lemon layer onto the baked shortbread crust and evenly spread with a spatula. Allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes and then pop it in the fridge to cool for 1 - 2 hours, or overnight until completely chilled.
- When chilled you can remove bars from the pan and slice. Sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar if desired, just before serving.
- Store lemon bars in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.