It all started when I saw that amazing looking lemon tart on Google+. The minute I saw it, my tummy wanted it!
But, when I clicked the link for the recipe I realized that this wasn’t something I wished to feed my family. 🙁 The recipe called for refined flour and sugar. Lots and lots of refined sugar. So I started looking for a better recipe.
I never did find the perfect recipe. I guess anything with lemon in it isn’t considered healthy because it needs a great deal of sugar… So I started reading recipes and learning what a lemon tart needs to turn out right.
Turns out, a lemon tart isn’t all that hard to make. But wouldn’t a lemon bar be even easier and go farther? So in the end I begain with a few different recipes and created my own whole wheat lemon bars!
Basically you make a shortbread crust for the bottom and bake it.
Then you make a delicious filling for on top, and you bake it again! Pretty easy overall; I think I spend more time juicing and zesting the lemons than I do on anything else!
- 1 cup very soft butter
- ⅓ cup raw cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2⅓ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups raw cane sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- slivered almonds (optional)
- Start by mixing the first 5 ingredients until smooth.
- Stir in the flour to make a smooth and slightly creamy dough.
- Press into bottom of a 9x13 pan and chill for 30 minutes.
- After chilling, bake shortbread at 350 for 20 minutes.
- Whip sugar, eggs, zest, and juice together until frothy.
- Set your mixer on medium and slowly shake the flour into the mix. Continue beating until all flour is mixed in, and the mixture is smooth.
- Once the shortbread is baked, pour the lemon filling on top and put back into the oven for an additional 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle with almonds if you desire.
