Vegan Lemon Bars

From The Joy of Vegan Baking, by Colleen Goudrault

Makes Sixteen 2 Inch Squares: These lemon bars are best eaten the day they are made, but they can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Wait until you're just about to serve your lemon bars before you sprinkle them with the confectioners' sugar. Otherwise, it will soak into the bars and you'll miss out on the pretty presentation.

When we were testing recipes for our review of The Joy of Vegan Baking:, we were hard pressed to pick a favorite. The pancakes, coconut pudding, and blueberry muffins were all outstanding, and easy to make. But on consulting our bliss index, these lemon bars had the highest score. As with all the recipes in this cookbook, anybody - vegetarian, vegan or omnivore - would love them.

Savvy Veg Note: If you don't have an electric mixer, blender or food processor, a sturdy wooden spoon and a big whisk will work. It's more labor intensive and takes longer, but that's how it was done in the good old days before electric labor saving appliances!

Ingredients—Crust

• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Ingredients—Filling

• 1/2 cup silken tofu (soft or firm)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest from 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with canola oil (or use a cooking spray) and sprinkle with just a light dusting of all-purpose flour.
3. To make the crust, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour, and beat until the dough just comes together.
4. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
5. Remove crust from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
6. To make the filling, blend the tofu in a food processor or blender until creamy, about 1 minute.
7. Add the granulated sugar to the tofu, and blend until nice and smooth.
8. Blend in the lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, and cornstarch.
9. Pour the filling over the baked shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set.
10. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
11. To serve, cut into squares or bars and dust with the sifted confectioners' sugar.