Christmas Madness: Lemon Bars

Today is the day I officially started baking all my Christmas treats! I eased my way in with a classic Lemon Bar, a quick and easy bake. Also a  great palate cleanser that contains some fruit!... Yep, I may be rationalizing to make myself feel better about all the sugar in these bad boys. Change of subject. 

Have you ever noticed if you have lemon trees by your house, on your way to work/school, or behind a reachable fence? Well, my Dad does and of course a bit of hoarding comes with it. They're like prized gems that need to be taken right now or you may never be able to find them again! For a few days, decent piles of lemons keep appearing on the counter until one evening he said "What are we gonna do with all these lemons? We probably have enough for lemon bars." Yeah Dad, we have more than enough. So Voila, Lemons Bars it is! I know everyone has a certain recipe they use, but it's okay, I'll share mine anyway. It sure is reliable!

You might be wondering, "what is going on with those lemon bars? They look funky!" Well, lately I've been baking some things that are supposed to be dusted (heavily of course) with powdered sugar. And every time I share with my boyfriend, he inhales the sugar and it makes for a very awkward moment when he clears his throat and gives me the look. So today, he gave a wonderful suggestion of blow torching/caramelizing the powdered sugar! It totally works, tastes good and insures no accidents. If ya got one, try it... but beware, it can burn easily.

 2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbl cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 Tbl all-purpose flour

1 tsp lemon zest

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup milk or half-and-half

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350' F. Butter a 13x9 inch baking pan. In a medium size bowl combine 2 cups flour, the 1/2 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt. Cut in until course crumbs. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are golden.

Meanwhile, for the filling, in a medium size bowl combine eggs, lemon juice and zest, sugar, 3 Tbl flour and milk/half-and-half. Pour filling over hot crust. Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is set.  Cool completely in pan. Dust with powdered sugar and caramelize with a blow torch. Cut into bars and serve!

Vegan Coconut-Lemon Bundt Cake

 Absolutely delish and super easy! It came out dense, moist and very flavorful.  I love to try Vegan baking every now and then because it gets you comfortable with different ingredients and techniques. Plus, the shock value of telling someone its Vegan after they take a bite is priceless!

  

Vegan Coconut-Lemon Bundt Cake

1 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar

2/3 cup canola oil

1 (14 ounce can) coconut milk

1/2 cup rice or soy milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

confections sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350'F. Lightly grease an 8' or 10' Bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, lemon juice, coconut milk, rice/soy milk, zest and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in batches to the wet ingredients, mix well. Fold in the coconut.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or unitl the edges are browned and an inserted knife comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Then place a cutting board over the cake, gently flip over and release the cake. Let cool completely then sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake.