Pecan Pie Squares & Fluffy Lemon Bars

I love baking for Christmas, and I spent much of December doing just that. My top favourite Christmas goodie is still the peanut butter ball that I posted last year. The next two at top of my list are Fluffy Lemon Bars and Pecan Pie Squares, both adapted from Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano.

Pecan Pie Squares

Crust:

1/2 cup oat flour

1 cup raw almonds, ground to a fine meal in food processor

1/4 cup light agave nectar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp. olive or grape-seed oil

Topping:

1 and 1/4 cups amber agave nectar

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 cup pecans, ground to a meal in a food processor

1/2 cup pecan halves

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 and 1/2 Tbsp. oat flour or other whole flour of your choice

Optional - dairy-free dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil an 8X8 baking pan.

To make the crust, mix all ingredients and press into pan. Bake 15 minutes, then remove pan from oven and set aside.

To make the topping, whisk all ingredients (except chocolate) together until well blended. Spread over crust. Optional - drizzle in melted chocolate. Bake 5 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake another 15 minutes or more until firm (I had to bake mine quite a bit longer). Let cool 10 - 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

Fluffy Lemon Bars

Crust:

1/2 cup oat flour

1 cup raw almonds, ground to a fine meal in food processor

1/4 cup light agave nectar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp. olive or grape-seed oil

Topping:

1 Tbsp. butter, room temperature

2/3 cup light agave nectar

2 large egg yolks

Juice & zest of two lemons

1/2 cup oat flour

1 cup thick coconut milk - use the thickest part if it has separated

3 large egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil an 8X8 baking pan.

To make the crust, mix all ingredients and press into pan. Bake 15 minutes, then remove pan from oven and set aside.

To make the topping, whisk all ingredients except the egg whites together until well blended. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff but not dry peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture until combined. Pour topping over crust, bake 25-30 minutes until the crust begins to turn golden and filling is set. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in refrigerator.