Here’s a fun mix of dessert concepts that will bring a summer-loving smile to your face.
I had planned to pick up a couple of beverages at the store, but a bag of Meyer Lemons caught my eye and I was so curious as to how I could bring them into my afternoon. Lemony desserts can do such wonderful things, after all. I do like lemon bars, but I have made them a few times before, and the idea of making a lemon bar with a non-traditional crust was an exciting challenge. I had no idea what would happen! I wanted to make this dessert gluten-free (one of my friends whose house I go to for dinner once a week is gluten-free, along with two of her children) and fun. I decided to make a rice krispie crust using gluten free rice krispie cereal, which doesn’t have glutinous barley malt. These are terrific and were so fun to make!
Here’s to thoughts of warm weather coming with summer on its heels.
–crispy layer-
- 5 jumbo marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups gluten free crispy rice cereal
melt butter in a pot first, then melt marshmallows in the same pot, stirring constantly. Butter may brown, but do not let it get too dark. stir in the cereal until well-incorporated with a silicone (nonstick) spatula and remove pot from the heat. Use parchment paper to press the cereal-marshmallow mixture into a buttered 8×8 pan. * If glass, cooking time will extend for 10-15 minutes more. *
–meyer lemon layer-
- 2 meyer lemon rinds, zested
- 2 meyer lemons, juiced
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Bake at 350F for 25 minutes (add 10 minutes for a glass baking pan)
Sift powdered sugar on top of bars once bars have completely cooled on a wire rack.
*Tip* Don’t be alarmed if the crust rises to the surface once you add the lemon mixture on top. It turns out just fine, and is a simple artifact of the interaction of the liquid mixture and the firm rice krispie crust.
