Made with a rich, buttery, nutty shortbread crust and topped with a sweet and tangy lemon curd, these gluten free lemon bars with almond shortbread crust are the best lemon bars you’ll ever have. Seriously, they are lemon bar perfection!
Incredibly tender and full of flavor, the base of these gluten free lemon bars is a salty, buttery shortbread crust made with ground Mariani blanched almonds and gluten free 1:1 flour. The crust comes out of the oven perfectly golden brown and full of rich, nutty flavor.
Next comes an easy lemon curd that’s filled with loads of sweet butter and extra tangy lemon juice. This lemon curd is ultra rich, super creamy, and extremely delicious.
The combo of the two makes the best gluten free dessert squares you’ve ever had.
What you’ll need to make these Gluten Free Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust
(links below are the gluten free & celiac safe products I used in this recipe)
- gluten free 1:1 flour
- Mariani slivered blanched almonds
- granulated sugar
- fine sea salt
- unsalted butter
- vanilla bean paste
- fresh lemon zest + juice
- eggs
- powdered sugar
Tips + tricks for making the best lemon curd
- Prepare the bowl with the butter, lemon zest, and mesh strainer before heating the curd on the stove. You won’t be able to do this while the curd is heating since you’ll be whisking the entire time.
- Make sure you are continuously whisking the curd while it thickens, this can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
- Once the curd has thickened, immediately pour it through the mesh strainer into the bowl with the butter and lemon zest. This will remove any pieces of cooked egg that may have formed while heating.
More delicious gluten free sweet treat recipes you’re sure to love!
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Whiskey Cobbler
- Gluten Free Maple Whiskey Apple Cinnamon Crisp
- The Best Gluten Free Ultimate Chocolate Cake
- Gluten Free Skillet Dutch Apple Pie
If you make these Gluten Free Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust, be sure to leave a comment and rating below. You can also snap a photo and post it on Instagram! Make sure to tag @glutenless_apron and use the hashtag #glutenlessapron for a chance to be featured. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust
- Yield: 16 Small Squares
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Made with a rich, buttery, nutty shortbread crust and topped with a sweet and tangy lemon curd, these gluten free lemon bars with almond shortbread crust are the best lemon bars you’ll ever have. Seriously, they are lemon bar perfection!
Ingredients
(links below are the gluten free & celiac safe products I used in this recipe)
shortbread crust
- ½ cup Mariani slivered blanched almonds
- 1 cup gluten free 1:1 flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½ inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or sub pure vanilla extract)
lemon curd
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 1 tablespoon pieces
- 2 tablespoons packed lemon zest
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup lemon juice
powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper on all sides. Allow parchment paper to hang over the sides of the pan, this will allow you to remove bars easily once chilled.
step 2
Add almonds to a small skillet and place over medium-low heat. Heat the almonds, stirring frequently, until fragrant and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
step 3
Once almonds have cooled, place them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until almonds reach a coarse sand like consistency. Add gluten free flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and vanilla bean paste. Pulse until the butter is incorporated and the dough forms large clumps.
step 4
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan using the back of a spoon or measuring cup. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and while the crust is still hot, press down again with the back of a spoon or measuring cup. Set aside to cool.
step 5
Reduce oven to 325 degrees.
step 6
Place butter and lemon zest in a medium size bowl. Place mesh strainer over the bowl, set aside.
step 7
In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar, salt, eggs and egg yolks. Gradually whisk in the lemon juice. Place saucepan over medium low heat and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 160 to 165 degrees, about 5 to 10 minutes.
step 8
Immediately pour the hot liquid through the mesh strainer into the bowl of butter and lemon zest (this removes any pieces of cooked egg). Whisk until the butter is incorporated and there are no clumps of lemon zest.
step 9
Pour the lemon curd over the baked crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the center wobbles like firm Jello-O when you gently shake the pan. Remove from the oven and let cool for 60 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for atleast 3 hours or overnight.
step 10
Once bars are chilled, run a knife along all edges of the pan. Grabbing the parchment paper, lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, cut the bars into 16 squares, wiping the knife clean after each slice. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Keywords: lemon bars, lemon curd, gluten free lemon bars
* some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! thanks for the support! *
Rebecca says
I made this recipe last night and it turned out absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS. I didn’t have slivered almonds on hand so I used a scant half cup of almond meal, which worked fine. The slab lifted right out of the pan with the parchment paper; I used a knife to score the bars and a dough scraper to cut through the crust. The exquisite tartness of the lemon curd married perfectly with the tender, buttery crust. These were perfection! Summer on a plate. LOVE <3
★★★★★