LIANA’S LEMON CLOUD BARS
Serves 4
Wait until you sink your teeth into these lemony clouds of amazement! I’ve always been a fan of lemon bars, and have experimented with all sorts of cooked vegan and raw ingredients to get the right balance between tart and sweet, the melt in your mouth consistency, and all around goodness. I finally came up with what I believe to be the most sublime lemon bars…cooked or raw, vegan or not, that I have ever had. These are NOT low fat and are a dessert…so I recommend enjoying small bars as treats. This is a great dessert to serve at a party for kids and adults alike!
These bars totally work without the lemon essential oil and the coconut butter. But if you have both of those ingredients, definitely add them! They take lemon bars to a whole new level of creamy lemony heaven.
Ingredients
CRUST
- 12 dates pitted
- 1/2 cup Almond pulp
- 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4-5 drops lemon essental oil I use Young Living
FILLING
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked 1 hour
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut butter optional
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 5 drops lemon essential oil optional
- 1 1/2 lemons juiced
- 1 tsp vanilla I use organic vanilla powder
MAKE CRUST
Put oats, almond pulp (or ground almonds), dates, maple syrup and lemon essential oil in food processor with the S blade. Process until it becomes completely incorporated. Press into small square pan. I used an 8X8 square pan lined with parchment paper. You can use different sized pans, springform pans, or even small cupcake or mini-muffin tins. Anything will work here, that is the beauty of raw food! The larger the pan obviously, the thinner your lemon bars! Chill crust while you prepare the lemon filling.
MAKE FILLING
Combine soaked (and drained) cashews, coconut oil, coconut butter (if using), lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla and lemon oil (if using) in high speed blender or food processor. (I prefer my Vitamix for this.) Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour over chilled crust. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving. Cut into bars and enjoy!
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