Vegan, Gluten & Sugar Free Lemon Squares
How to bake delicious, guiltless Italian lemon squares that everyone will enjoy!
Ingredients needed for dough:
1.5 cups organic all purpose gluten free flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup melted vegan butter
3/4 cup Stevia
Zest of 3 organic lemons
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Ingredients needed for glaze:
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1.5 cups organic powdered sugar
Zests of 2 organic lemons
Where do I start?
In a large bowl, add the vegan butter and Stevia. Using a hand held mixer, cream and mix on medium speed. Add applesauce, lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Add flour, baking powder and lemon zest to the mixture. Using a rubber spatula mix until combined. Do not over mix.
You can not mess this up, it’s simple!
This is what the dough will look like before the final mix with the rubber spatula.
What do I do after the dough is made?
Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and mold into a log. Tighten up both ends and freeze for 2.5 hours. At the 2.5 hour mark, transfer the dough into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
There is no right or wrong way to forming the log.
This is how I rolled mine before putting it in the freezer.
Once the dough is ready, what do I do?
Pull your dough out of the refrigerator and place it on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Using a knife, cut the log into 1/2 inch squares and place them on the parchment paper. Make sure there is enough room between each square for the dough to rise/spread. Once all the cookies are on the baking sheet, place in the oven for 15-18 minutes.
Bake at 350 Degrees (F) for 15-18 min.
What should I do while the squares are baking?
Time to start the glaze! Using the same (clean) bowl that you mixed the dough in, combine 3 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice, 1.5 cups of organic powdered sugar and the zest of 2 lemons. Using either a hand held mixer or a whisk- mix all ingredients until combined. Place in refrigerator until squares have cooled completely.
Using one bowl makes it so easy to clean up.
Try not to eat the glaze with a spoon - it’s delicious!
Should I wait until the squares are cool to glaze them?
Yes! Once you have pulled the squares out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack. Let the squares cool completely before glazing. If there is any heat left in the squares, the glaze will not stick properly.
Do not overcook your lemon squares. A fork should come out clean in the center, but no brown edges. These should be slightly soft.
Now that your squares are cooled down, glaze them and enjoy! Comment if you have any questions.
