My favorite desserts are the tart, refreshing kind. That’s why Key Lime Pie is my all time favorite dessert on this planet. Another good old favorite are those yummy, tart and slightly sweet Lemon Bars. They are the perfect combination for my sweet tooth.
One day last week I was having some gals over and whipped up a couple of fresh, healthy salads, along with Ina Garten’s Chicken Satay. You can get her recipe HERE. Of course, since it was a “girl thing” there had to be a little dessert. I wanted quick, easy, and refreshing but didn’t want to serve something to put us over the edge on the health front. So, I searched and found a recipe that I can take absolutely no credit for, unless you call typing into the search engine for light lemon bar recipes and comparing what was out there on the internet world. After looking over various ones I decided on this one . . . . and it was darn good. So, when something is darn good, th at means it is good enough to share.
Thanks to SkinnyMom for the following recipe! It will be perfect for your summer!
LEMON BARS
INGREDIENTS:
1⅓ cups all-purpose whole-wheat flour
5 Tbsp packed brown sugar
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 egg whites
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups powdered sugar, divided
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To make crust, mix whole-wheat flour and brown sugar using a food processor until fully mixed. Toss butter into flour mixture and pulse to combine using short bursts of power until butter is cut into tiny pea-sized pieces and dough appears lumpy.
Sprinkle crust mixture onto an ungreased 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan as evenly as possible; press down with a spatula to create a packed surface. (I actually use my hands here as that works best for me, but be sure to spray your hands with olive oil or rub with a little coconut oil to make the job easier!)
Place crust in middle of oven and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
While crust is baking, to make lemon topping, beat egg and egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until well blended.
Add vanilla extract and ¾ cup of powdered sugar; mix well.
Add lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar; mix until powdered sugar is completely dissolved and then add zest.
As soon as crust is finished, remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Immediately pour lemon mixture over hot crust
Bake for 30 minutes; cool, and cut into 24 bars.
Nutrition Information
Per Serving (1 bar); Calories: 113; Fat: 2.7g; Carbs: 22g
Next time you are fumbling around for something yummy and not too terribly unhealthy to serve, you know where to come. (And don’t tell anyone that these are the skinny version – I promise they will never know!)
What is your favorite sweet treat? Tart, tangy or chocolatey and rich? Can you believe that the month of May is flying by so? Summer is coming . . . .YooHoo!
Enjoy Your Day!
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