Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Hey summer, you kind of came out of no where. It's officially summer. Well, not until June 21, but schools out, and that's all that counts, right? Lemon bars are one of those foods that taste great anytime but especially during summer parties. And as we could probably all agree on, summer parties are always better with the right desserts. And this, my friend, is definitely the right choice. There's something you just have to do when summer shows up. You have a BBQ and make lemon bars. It's just a thing.

 These lemon bars are actually perfect. As in couldn't get any better. Not with gluten, or anything. As in tart and sweet, smooth and fresh. You really can't ask for anything more.

Gluten Free Lemon Bars
Shortbread Crust-
2 cups gluten free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon shortening
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rice milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment.
2. Whisk flour, xanthan gum, and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening and sugars. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until they are thoroughly combined.
3. Press the dough into pan, chill crust in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Remove crust from the refrigerator and prick it all over with a fork.
4. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer the baked crust from the oven to cooling racks and cool for 30 minutes. Maintain the oven temperature. While the crust is cooling, make the filling.

Filling-
3 cups powdered sugar + extra for dusting
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly grated lemon zest

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 3 cups of the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Continue whisking and slowly add the water. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a full boil over medium high heat(8-10 minutes). Sprinkle the gelatin over the boiling mixture and stir to dissolve it. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for another 5 minutes; the mixture should be quite thick. Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Pour the lemon custard mixture over the cooled crust.
2. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares for serving.

Notes: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Source:Allergy-Free Desserts by Elizabeth Gordon