Gluten Free Lemon Coconut Poppy Seed Bars

1 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square metal, ceramic, or glass baking pan with 2 long pieces of aluminum foil, layering the pieces across one another and crimping the overhang over the sides of the pan.

2 . Stage

Make the crust: Whisk the coconut flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the coconut, poppy seeds and lemon zest.

3 . Stage

Whisk the butter, applesauce, and egg yolk together in a small bowl, then stir into the crust.

4 . Stage

Press the crust evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

5 . Stage

Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. (Baking time will be slightly longer for ceramic and glass pans than for metal pans.)

6 . Stage

While the crust bakes, make the filling: Whisk the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and applesauce together in a medium mixing bowl until the eggs are well blended.

7 . Stage

Whisk in the sugar and cornstarch.

8 . Stage

Pour the filling over the baked crust and return the pan to the oven.

9 . Stage

Bake for 25-30 minutes more, until the filling is set.

10 . Stage

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then use the long edges of the foil to carefully lift the bars out of the pan and onto the rack.

11 . Stage

Cool to room temperature, then peel the foil off. Dust the bars with powdered sugar and sprinkle with poppy seeds, then cut into squares or longer bars.

12 . Stage

Bars can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.