Summer is in full swing, for me anyway, and there are very few recipes that I am willing to crank up my oven and sweat it out just for something sweet. These keto fat bomb lemon squares are one of those recipes. Not just because lemon squares (aka lemon bars) are a beloved dessert staple that has transcended time and potlucks everywhere, but because these are Toasted Coconut Lemon Squares and everyone knows that the sweet and salty crunch of coconut makes everything better.

Traditional lemon squares are gooey and tangy and guaranteed to make a mess of your fingers. This spin on an old classic combines the bite of a lemon with a dairy free, egg based, custard style filling which is topped with crispy toasted coconut chips and packed with protein. The creamier, heavy filling keeps the lemon coconut crust from getting too soggy and flimsy. Win-win!

Slice these squares into 9 servings for a calorie dense breakfast, or into 12 bars for a lighter keto treat! If you don’t mind using real milk, the amounts are the same but remember that the fat and calories will change by using whole fat milk. You can use unsweetened toasted coconut, but I highly recommend toasted coconut chips. They are readily available at most grocery stores. The chips have zero sugar added and are crispier than toasting your own coconut!

Yields 12 servings of Toasted Coconut Lemon Squares

The Preparation

Crust:

1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup erythritol
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest, to taste
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Filling:

1 tablespoon butter, softened
3/4 cup erythritol
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest, to taste
5 large egg, beaten

Topping:

3/4 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
2 tablespoons almond flour
1/2 tablespoon butter

The Execution

Crust

1. Heat oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl combine the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and lemon zest then stir until all ingredients are uniformly mixed.

2. Cut the softened butter into the flour mix with a fork. You may want to dig in with your hands to thoroughly incorporate the butter into the flour.

3. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1. Bring a saucepan to medium heat and add butter, erythritol, lemon zest, and milk. Stir until the butter and sugar has been completely dissolved.

2. Pour in lemon juice. Be sure to use a strainer if you are using freshly squeezed juice!

3. Slowly whisk in the eggs and stir continuously over medium low heat until the mixture begins to thicken. This should talk about 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the lemon filling into your crust and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Prepare the topping.

Topping

1. In a small food processor or blender pulse the toasted coconut, almond flour, and butter until you have a grainy mixture.

2. Sprinkle topping on your lemon squares and return to the hot oven to crisp the top for approximately 5 minutes, or 1 minute under a hot broiler. Be careful not to burn the crumble!

3. Let cool before serving.

This makes a total of 12 servings of Toasted Coconut Lemon Squares. Each serving comes out to be 179 calories, 14.6g fats, 4.6g net carbs, and 5.7g protein.

NUTRITION	CALORIES	FAT	CARBS	FIBER	NET CARBS	PROTEIN
1 cup almond flour	648	56	24.6	14.6	10.1	23.5
1/4 cup coconut flour	80	4.7	13.3	9.3	4	4
1/4 cup erythritol	10	0	0	0	0	0
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest	1	0	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.1
3 tablespoon butter	305	34.5	0	0	0	0.4
1 tablespoon butter	102	11.5	0	0	0	0.1
3/4 cup erythritol	29	0	0	0	0	0
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk	14	1.3	0.6	0.4	0.2	0.6
1 cup lemon juice	41	0.2	13.7	1.7	12	1.2
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest	1	0	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.1
5 large egg	393	26.2	2	0	2	34.5
3/4 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes	425	34	21.3	12.8	8.5	4.3
2 tablespoon almond flour	81	7	3.1	1.8	1.3	2.9
1/2 tablespoon butter	51	5.8	0	0	0	0.1
Totals	2183	181.2	79.5	41.2	38.4	71.7
Per Serving (/12)	182	15.1	6.6	3.4	3.2	6