Prepare Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• It's important that the butter or margarine be cold and firm. Cut butter or margarine into small pieces. If soft, place into freezer for 3-5 minutes until firm. 
• Line 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Paper should be ½ to 1 inch longer than pan on two sides for easy lifting of backed goods.
  Optional: Spray pan with GF baking spray for areas not covered with parchment paper.
• Place Marion's Gluten-Free Lemon Bar crust mix into bowl. Add pieces of cold butter/margarine to mix immediately.
• Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, then 1-2 minutes at medium speed until the dough is loose and crumbly. Drop crumbles into pan and use finger tips to loosely spread mixture towards edges. Do not press firmly. (If dough has the texture of a smooth, batter-like mixture, spread evenly with moistened finger tips, and prick with fork.)
• Bake for 10 minutes. Crust will be ready when starting to form tiny bubbles.

Prepare Filling:

• For best results, prepare filling while the crust bakes.
• Place eggs in bowl; beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 30 seconds.
• Add Marion's Gluten-Free Lemon Bar filling, beat for 15 seconds at low, and 15 seconds at high speed. 

Prepare Lemon Bars:

• Take crust out of oven and cool for 1 minute.
• Gently mix or fold in 8-10 tablespoons of lemon juice with the prepared lemon filling. (Do not over mix.)
• Pour lemon filling gently onto crust.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling starts to turn golden at the edge. Lemon bars are likely to have a light mousse-like texture.
• Take pan out of oven and let cool for 2-5 minutes.
• If using parchment paper or foil, loosen sides with spatula and lift out of pan. Place on cooling rack and cut when cool. Or cool completely in baking pan before cutting and removing.

Nutritional information (1/8 of recipe): Calories 252, Carbohydrate 26g, Sugar 12g, Protein 5g, Fat 15g, Sodium 82mg. Diabetes Exchanges: 1½ Carbohydrates; 2½ Fats.

Baking Tips for Crust:

Butter or margarine must be cold to form dough crumbles. Alternatively, you can place baking pan with soft dough in the freezer for a few minutes before spreading with fingertips. While parchment paper (or foil) with slightly longer ends at two sides as handles makes for easier lifting of the baked goods, you may use GF baking spray instead, and cut the lemon bars while still in the baking pan. Either method is effective.

Baking Tips for a "Sweeter" Version of Marion's Gluten-Free Lemon Bars:

As always, Marion has your special health needs in mind! So yes, this tastes like a bakery lemon bar treat, but it's also gluten-free, low sodium, reduced sugar, and provides the health benefits of whole grains.

• To achieve a sweeter taste, we suggest sprinkling the baked lemon bars with 1-2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar before serving. It adds sweetness and a bit of festive decoration.
• If you really like your treats sweet, and find a light sprinkling of confectioners' sugar is not enough, we have additional options to satisfy your palate:
• For a lower calorie, lower glycemic index option, as many of our friends with diabetes choose, we suggest adding 1 tablespoon of your favorite stevia powder to the lemon filling blend. Please note that the baking time will increase by about 5 minutes.
• Another option is to add 1-2 tablespoons of agave nectar to Marion's Gluten-Free Lemon Bar filling blend. This option adds sweetness but decreases the lemon bar volume slightly. Total baking time is about 25 minutes.
• Sugar also works with our mix. You can add 1-3 tablespoons of granulated or powdered sugar to Marion's Gluten-Free Lemon Bar filling blend.
• For every tablespoon of sugar added, increase the cooking time by 5-6 minutes.
  • If you add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the mix, the total baking time is about 25 minutes.
  • If you add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mix, the total baking time is 30-33 minutes.
  • If you add 3 tablespoons of sugar to the mix, the total baking time is 35-40 minutes.

Please note that ovens vary in baking time due to age and style.

Notes About Added Sugar, Less Tartness:

• Marion does not recommend adding more than 3 tablespoons of sugar to the mix. More than 3 tablespoons of sugar turns your lemon bar filling into more of lemon custard and the baking time increases significantly.
• If you want your lemon bars less tart, you may also decrease the amount of lemon juice used to 5 or 6 tablespoons.

Marion's Lemon Bar Mix is designed to provide a delightful reduced-sugar, low-sodium treat. Alternative baking options are provided for those who like their treats sweet. We offer you options so you can make the best nutritional, tasty choices for yourself and those you love!