Lemon Bars

Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Shortbread crust:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine

Lemony curd filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp rice flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon peel
powdered sugar

Cut butter into the dry crust ingredients, until you have a something similar to cookie dough. Pat into bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 17-19 minutes. Let cool.

Beat eggs. Add sugar, rice flour, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Whisk until smooth. Pour over crust and bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until filling is set. Dust with powdered sugar.

I tried a recipe for lemon bars a few weeks ago and was so disappointed. This is a basic recipe, but a winner. The crust is flaky and the filling lemony. They are very sweet and tangy, so cut into small pieces. The filling is meant to be like lemon curd, so it will need to cool before you can cut it or it will fall apart. I even chilled mine, just because I like it that way. I am going to use this crust for other recipes too, because it is so easy and really, really good.

Limey Bars

Limey Bars

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup rice flour
2 Tbsp melted butter or margerine
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lime juice

Blend pecan pieces in a food processor or blender until crumbly. Mix with powdered sugar, rice flour and melted butter. Pat into the bottom of a 9x9 in pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, mixing until smooth. Add lime juice. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until just set. Cool 30 minutes, and then chill.

This is another crust you can use in place of a graham cracker crust. The nutty flavor is a little different, although very good. I wanted to add coconut to the crust, but couldn't find it. If I had, I would use about 1/3 cup.

*In this picture, the bars are overcooked because I didn't hear the timer all the way upstairs. They would not normally have a browned top.

Do you like that I posted them anyways?

Peanut Butter Panda Puffs

This cereal, referenced above, is absolutely good, for a few reasons. First, it tastes just like Peanut Butter Cap n Crunch, only a little less sweet and a little more peanutbuttery. Yumm!

Also, you can find it in most stores, either in the cereal aisle or the health foods section.

And lastly, if you crush it, you can use it to make an awesome recipe I'm sure you're all familiar with, 7-Layer Bars. The crushed cereal can be used instead of the crushed graham crackers, and peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch. While I don't have a picture of this, yet, I will post the recipe, as it is delicious.

7 Layer Bars

1 1/2 cups crushed PB Panda Puffs cereal
1/2 cup butter or margerine, melted
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup peanut butter flavored chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Heat oven to 350. In bowl, combine cereal and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Pour milk evenly over crust. Layer chips, coconut and nuts over top. Press down with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.