Lemonies (Soy, Milk, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Wheat and Egg-Free)

Lemonies, glazed and dusted with powdered sugar

I love lemon flavor.  Lemonade, lemon squares, frozen lemonades - pretty much, if it's lemon flavored, I'll try it and probably like if not love it. :)  This love of lemon prompted me to come up with a lemon flavored brownie (minus the chocolate), hence this creation - the lemonie.

Lemonies are soy (if you use all soy-free ingredients), milk, nut and fish-free, and can be wheat and egg-free (see variations).  The texture is a cross between lemon squares and chewy brownies (depending on how done you cook them and the topping you choose).  You can eat them glazed or not, dusted with powdered sugar or not, or you can glaze AND dust them with powdered sugar - whatever your preference!  They are citrus-y and fresh - perfect for spring and summer!  If you love lemon like I do, give these a try!  You'll love them!

Lemonies

Bar Portion:

3/4 Cup lard

1 1/2 Cups white sugar

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Cup soy-free flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze Portion (optional):

1/4 Cup lemon juice

1 to 1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar 

Dash of salt (optional and no more than 1/8 teaspoon)

For Dusting (optional):

powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.
     
2. Grease and flour a 9x13 glass pan; set aside. (Note: To keep this recipe milk-free, grease the pan with lard or oil of choice that fits your allergen/dietary needs.)
     
3. Mix lard,  sugar, eggs, and lemon juice together, until blended.
     
4. Add to mixture, flour, baking powder and salt, until well blended.
     
5. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until desired doneness.  (Note: You want them to be to the same doneness you would bake brownies to.)
   
   You can eat the lemonies at this point once they've completely cooled.  You can also dust them with powdered sugar once they've completely cooled before serving.  If you really want them extra gooey and/or decadent, you can follow the next few steps.
     
6. In a small bowl, mix up the ingredients for the glaze portion with a wire whisk until well blended.  (Note: I add the salt to bring out the sweetness, but if you don't want to add it in, you don't have to.  Start off making the glaze with the 1 Cup powdered sugar, and add more if you find the glaze too tart for your liking or too thin.)
     
7. You can pour the glaze over the lemonies as soon as they are out of the oven for a more gooey texture or wait until they cool completely to glaze them.  The choice is yours!
     
8. If you want even more sweetness, you can dust the lemonies with poured sugar after you've glazed them and they've completely cooled.

Makes 12 very large squares or up to 24 smaller squares.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using variations):

•  Wheat-free: Use a gluten-free baking mix in place of the flour.  I recommend using either King Arthur Flour's Gluten Free Baking Mix or Krusteaz Gluten Free Flour.  Both can replace the flour at a 1:1 ratio (i.e. 1 Cup mix = 1 Cup flour), and taste great!  You can also use another gluten-free flour of your choice, but note that you may have to add up to 3 teaspoons of xanthan gum or ground flax seed to the recipe for textural purposes.  Don't forget to dust the pan with a gluten-free flour/baking mix as well!
    
• Egg-Free: Use an egg-replacer or one of the substitution ideas listed under the "To Make a Recipe Egg-Free" to replace the egg.  For best results, I would go with the egg replacer or flax seed "egg", however.
    
• Other Flavors: If you don't like lemon, but do like lime, pineapple, orange or grapefruit, you could certainly substitute lime, pineapple, orange or grapefruit juice for the lemon juice.  You could also use a combination of juices, if you wish.  You could also glaze the bars with a jam of choice vs. the glaze.  You could also try substituting a non-citrus juice for the lemon juice as well.  You could even substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla for the lemon juice in the bars and make a vanilla glaze vs. the lemon glaze (if you wanted them glazed) if you wanted vanilla flavored bars.
    
• Alternative Fats: If you don't like lard, you can certainly substitute any solid fat for it - butter, coconut oil, shortening or a dairy-free butter.  I would not use oil (other than coconut), however, as the bars will not turn out right.  Keep in mind that if you use coconut oil, your lemonies will taste a little like coconut, so don't use it unless that's the flavor profile you want.

 

Yum!  Gooey, lemony deliciousness!  What's not to love?

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)