Back in January when things were more calm and my weekends would consist of exploring restaurants and bakeries around different Chicago neighborhoods, I came upon a little gluten-free bakery called Defloured.

Although it was small, it felt homey and more importantly it was stocked full of gluten-free goodies. I settled on a chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookie and a bar that intrigued me because it was something I had never heard of before. It was called a butter bar. I wasn’t sure what it was, it looked very gooey and had what looked like a shortbread crust so I bough a piece and went to a coffee shop next door. Quickly I uncovered that I was in love with the texture and the flavor of this mystery bar. Can it be that something so delicious could also be gluten-free? I savored every crumb and as I finished the bar I promised myself that this would be the next thing I bake.

And that was the inspiration behind this recipe. I had made this butter bar a few times now, I made it with cream cheese, mascarpone and as you can see ricotta and each time I came to the conclusion that it’s almost impossible to mess up. The recipe that I am sharing today is my take on a healthier version of a butter bar. It has a shortbread crust which gives it that buttery, gooey texture. The ricotta makes it creamy and airy (and gives it that crackly look) and the lemon brings out that bright, tart flavor. It’s the prefect combination of flavors and there is no guilt in having a few extra pieces!

Lemon Ricotta Butter Bars

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups almond flour

2 tbsp. tapioca flour

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 cup (4oz) grass-fed butter plus extra to grease the baking dish, cold and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup powdered cane sugar (or sugar free alternative like Lakanto monkfruit sweeter)

Pinch of salt

Filling:

1 cup whole milk ricotta

3 eggs

1-2 tbsp. grass-fed butter, softened (more butter gives it a more rich, buttery taste)

6-8 tbsp. lemon juice (depending on how tart you like it)

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered cane sugar (or sugar free alternative like Lakanto monkfruit sweeter)

1/2 tsp. xanthum gum

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place parchement paper in a metal square baking dish (9×9) and grease throughly. In a medium bowl, place the almond flour, tapioca flour, powdered sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk until it’s fragrant and there are no lumps. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter or a fork, mix until it has a crumbly consistency. Pour into the baking dish and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until it’s a light golden color.

While the crust bakes prepare the filling. Place the ricotta, eggs and butter in a large bowl and beat with a electric mixer until it’s smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until combined. Spread evenly over the crust and bake 20-30 minutes until edges are golden and the ricotta filling is set. Once cooled, you can cut into squares and sprinkle with additional powdered sugar (optional).

Enjoy!

***You can easily make your own sugar free powdered sugar by placing 1 cup xylitol and 2 tsp. tapioca flour in a high speed blender. Blent until powdered and use as you would regular powdered sugar.