Lemon Lime Bars With Honey

I have strong feelings towards lemon bars, they're zesty, sweet and have a bit of crunch to go with the powerful lemon flavor. I probably could eat them just about everyday, and in fact actually did so all this week (shh...). And while I love my other recipe for straight lemon bars, I thought it was time to try something new. So I played around with ideas for a moment and wanted to see what substituting the sugar with honey would do, and how the crust would taste with coconut oil instead of butter. Turns out, amazing. The crust is a little more crunchy, which I love and the honey adds the right amount of sweet while playing off the tart flavors of the lemon and lime. You have to try them! And while I may have overcooked them a little, thanks to the distraction of two wild toddlers, they still tasted incredible. 

Lemon Lime Bars With Coconut Oil Crust

Crust

1 1/2 cups  flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp lemon zest

1/2 tbsp. lime zest

1/3 cup coconut oil, room temp.

Filling

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cups honey

1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained

Preheat oven to 350˚F and line 13×9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.

Start by making the crust.  In a large bowl, mix  flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add coconut oil to flour mixture and blend with an electric mixer at low speed until mixture is crumbly. 

Pour into pan and press mixture down with your fingers to form even layer.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until just lightly browned around the edges. For the filling, whisk together eggs, honey and lemon juice in a large bowl.

 When the crust comes out of the oven and is still hot, pour in filling mixture.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until filling is set and does not jiggle when the pan is gently shaken.

Let cool completely before cutting. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and serve.