Zesty Lemon Hemp Bars
Lemon bars recipe... How do I love thee? Let me count the lemony-coconutty ways...This is one of those ‘bet you can’t eat just one’ treats!That buttery tanginess of a lemon bar can be so addicting…But the usual high amounts of butter, sugar, eggs, flour and sugar laden condensed milk used in a traditional recipe for these citrus-infused treats does not play along nicely with a healthy eating plan.Good thing that my favourite thing to do is take an old fashioned ‘not-so-healthy’ recipe and healthify it - turning it into a healthier alternative.If you are looking for the ultimate lemon bar recipe, then look no further. I promise you these are the best damn lemon bars you will ever taste. Bold claim I know!But these bars are truly a minimum fuss dessert. They hit at only 6 ingredients! And for how easy they are, the flavour and richness are wild. So, SO good. I have the bars all cutup in a container in the freezer, and I just set one out to thaw a bit while we are cleaning up after dinner. Perfect sweet relief at the end of a busy day.When life gives you lemons, you make lemon bars. It's just what we do. This raw version is made up of nutty, coconutty, oatyness combined with the rich, tang of lemon-y goodness.They are super easy to make (three cheers for no-bake treats!) and crammed with the perfect balance of tart-sweet flavour. I am quite certain this will be my new go-to item for potlucks or family gatherings. I love a good yummy something and it’s become a tradition that I make something for the weekend, almost every weekend. It’s just a nice way to reward yourself I think, and keep the sugar-intake at a minimum. After all, dessert eating has its limits – if we all could just succumb to our cravings, we would be sick, obese, diabetics and what not. Basically, I’ve learned that sugar cravings are not all that cute – you just can’t have it all… and the more disciplined you become with your sweet tooth cravings – the healthier you are.But, but wait! What if this said dessert is incredibly um… Good-for-you! Like for reals! No sugar added, healthy grains, healthy ingredients, amazing taste, completely guilt-free!? Do all my rules and all my discipline for craving sugar go out the window? Ha! They kind of do!!! 😉Because these lemon bars are crazy amazing you can feel good about eating one or two of them, even for breakfast and not feel one piece of guilt about it! 😉Just trust me on this…this is a no-bake, raw recipe for a dessert so delicious I think you should just make a double batch and call it a day!
Servings 16
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds or walnuts
- 1 cup dates, soaked 30 minutes and drained
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts (seeds)
- 1/2 cup oats, instant or quick
- 1-2 lemons, juice and zest - depending on how lemon-ey you would like it
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8” baking pan or dish with parchment paper on the bottom and sides leaving some overhanging to act as a handle to get the bars out easier for cutting.Place almonds and coconut into a food processer and process until broken down and crumbly. Add dates, hemp hearts, oats, vanilla, lemon juice and zest and continue to process until mixture is sticky and well combined. Be careful not to over process as its nice to have texture variance and different sized “bits” in your lemon bars.Press the base mixture into the bottom of your pan or dish evenly. Place in the fridge to set and become firm 1-2 hours. Then lift bars out from pan using the parchment paper handles and cut into 16 bars or more smaller squares.Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
If you are looking for more delicious, healthy, no bake desserts and treats to help you reach your health, wellness and fitness goals, you will love my collection here: Blended Bites
