COCONUT CARDAMOM LEMON BARS

and a sweet tooth's scars

SWEET TEETH

canary canyons

Okay, hi everyone! Sorry for the wee hiatus, I accidentally sliced off the top of my thumb while cutting these lemon bars (nevertheless I persisted and still got the pictures whilst bleeding out), which has put a bit of a damper on both my baking and writing productivity. Luckily, we’re starting to heal up nicely, though the way things seem, my thumb may look plateaued forever. In the wake of this, I’ve spent some time taking inventory of my various kitchen-caused bumps, bruises, and scars, hoping they make me look cool or hardened. More likely, they signify clumsiness.

I imagine I resemble the clownish patient in the game Operation, a big bright oven light adorning my nose. Please pick up the tweezers and fix my ailments.

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A SWEET TOOTH’S SCARS

• an ever-growing bump on my temple, from thwacking my skull into kitchen cabinets left ajar.

• an insensate esophagus, from impatiently feasting on food fresh from the oven.

• a candy-cane-curved spine, from standing curled over my counter.

• a spattering of star-shaped scars across my stomach, from a night I fried chicken shirtless. I often trace my finger over them, longing to realize a new constellation.

• a chipped tooth (front, bottom, right), from crunching into caramel cooked to hard crack.

• a split in my lip, from licking jam too good to be wasted off a serrated knife.

• a bald spot, on the back of my head, from anxiously plucking out hair while I sit cross-legged in front of the oven, beseeching Hestia to bless my bakes, willing them to rise or crisp or set to perfection.

• a crushed and contorted pinky toe (left foot), from a dropped Dutch oven.

• a crushed and contorted pinky toe (right foot), from a dropped Dutch oven.

• a perpetual prickle in my palms, from hours spent kneading dough.

• an incurable cough, from the squall of soot and smoke inhaled with each burned bake.

• a cavity, drilled and filled, from a lifetime of sucking down sweets. I fear I may have another. does anyone have a good dentist?

• and now, a flat-topped thumb.

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This week’s recipe is for Coconut Cardamom Lemon Bars! And babes, they’re vegan! They start with a spiced shortbread base, onto which I ladle a coconut milk lemon curd and sprinkle on some coconut flakes for texture. The final product is a deliciously dense cookie-bar, with a delightful zip to cut through its richness.

Considering that I put actual blood, sweat, and tears into this one, I hope you all enjoy it! When you slice them make sure you keep your eyes on your knife and not on The Traitors episode you’re simultaneously watching.

THE RECIPE

COCONUT CARDAMOM LEMON BARS

makes one 9x13 tray of bars

Ingredients:

For the curd:

• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar

• 4 tsp (12g) cornstarch

• ~2 tbsp (12g) lemon zest from 2 lemons

• 2 tsp (4g) dried ground turmeric

• 3/4 cup (164g) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, shaken well*

• 3/4 cup (183g) freshly squeezed lemon juice, from ~4-6 lemons

For the dough:

• 3 1/2 cups (448g) all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp (4g) ground cardamom

• 1.5 tsp (6g) baking powder

• 1 tsp (2g) ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt**

• 1 1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar

• 3/4 cup (62g) sweetened coconut flakes

• 3/4 cup (144g) unrefined coconut oil, melted

• 3/4 cup (164g) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, shaken well*

• 1 tsp (4g) pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Make your curd: In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together your granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and turmeric. Add in your coconut milk and lemon juice and whisk to combine. Heat over medium-high, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium, and continue whisking until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Preheat & prep: Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9x13 cake pan with neutral oil, and line it with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the long sides to easily lift out later.

3. Whisk together your dry ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together your all-purpose flour, cardamom, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add in your coconut flakes and mix to distribute throughout the flour.

4. Whisk together your wet ingredients: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together your brown sugar, coconut oil, coconut milk and vanilla until combined.

5. Make your dough: Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour the wet ones into it. Fold the mixture until all the flour has been moistened and the dough comes together. Remove 1 cup (270g) of dough from the bowl and set aside.

6. Layer your lemon bars: Press your dough (sans the one cup you set aside) into an even layer in your lined 9x13 pan. Pour your lemon curd on top of the dough and spread into an even layer using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Crumble your remaining cup of dough sporatically over the top of the lemon curd.

7. Bake: Bake your lemon bars until the dough is golden, and the lemon curd begins to bubble and brown at the edges, 35-37 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.

8. Slice & serve: Once cooled, lift out of the pan, slice into squares and serve.

9. Leftovers: Store in an airtight container up to 5 days at room temperature.

Notes:

*When I was testing this I found certain brands of coconut milk worked better than others. Notably, the Trader Joe’s brand had a hard fatty layer of coconut oil set on top which is not ideal, so avoid that. Target’s brand works well! Thai Kitchen and Goya which are both pretty standard in local grocery stores also work!
**If you’re using any other type or brand of salt (i.e. Morton, or sea salt), I suggest scaling back by 1/2.

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