I love all things lemon – lemon and ginger are my two favorite things! When I make my protein shakes, when I use tropical fruit like mango, papaya, and/or pineapple, I always add lemon juice and grated ginger. I love that extra tang it adds!

When I found this recipe, I was excited to try it! And bonus? Super easy with ingredients I usually have in the house, and absolutely delicious!!!

INGREDIENTS

ALMOND BASE:

• 1 3/4 cup almond meal 
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour 
• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup rice malt syrup (make sure it’s labeled gluten free if needed)

LEMON CURD FILLING:

• 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons) + zest of 1/2 lemon 
• 1 cup canned full fat coconut milk 
• 1/3 cup rice malt syrup or other liquid sweetener
• 2 tbsp corn starch or arrowroot powder
• 2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• small pinch turmeric powder (for colour) – optional

INSTRUCTIONS

ALMOND BASE:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 8 inch square pan with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Add almond meal and tapioca flour into a large bowl, and mix until combined. Add coconut oil and rice malt syrup and mix until it all comes together.
3. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until it is just lightly browned on top. Do not overcook.

LEMON CURD LAYER:

1. Pour the lemon juice into a medium pot. Add cornflour and whisk well to remove any lumps. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients and and place the pot on medium to high heat.
2. Make sure to stir regularly, I like to use a heat resistant silicone spatula for this as well as a whisk. The curd will start to form first on the bottom, when you notice this happening, give it a whisk to make sure it stays smooth (continue to whisk now and then). When it starts to thicken, turn down the heat to low. Still stirring regularly, keep cooking until it’s a thick curd consistency.
3. Take off the heat and pour onto the base. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Cut into 16 squares. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

*NOTES*

1. What the photos don’t show is the massive air bubble that formed on one side of the baking pan. Not certain why this happened, but c’est la vie!
2. When adding turmeric, the color will intensify as it cools, so stop even when you think you need more. It won’t affect the flavor but the squares will be more neon than you may want… like mine, lol!