Lemon Poppy Seed Bars
Lemon Poppy Seed Bars are a delightful afternoon snack! These easy snack bars are grain free and keto-friendly!
Lemon Poppy Seed Bar Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients you will need for this recipe. The complete recipe and instructions are below, just keep scrolling.
- Butter: unsalted, softened butter
- Granular Monkfruit Sweetener: Granular Swerve also works.
- Eggs: size large room temperature eggs are ideal for this recipe.
- Almond Flour and Coconut Flour: you need both flours to get the right rise and consistency for this recipe.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest: this is about 2 medium size fresh lemons
- Baking powder and Salt: provides lift for the blondies.
- Ingredients for the glaze: Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener, cream cheese, almond milk or heavy cream, vanilla extract.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Bars
To make this low carb blondie dessert, you’ll start out by using a handheld electric mixer to cream together the unsalted butter, and granular sweetener until creamy. Then, mix in the eggs, one at a time until smooth.
In another bowl mix the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat with the electric mixture until combined. Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Prepare a 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean. Allow the blondies to cool completely and add the keto lemon glaze (recipe below).
What size pan do I use?
You will need an 8×8 pan for this recipe. Using a larger pan will result in much thinner bars that are overcooked and crumble easily. The correct size pan is the key for delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Bars.
Tips for Grain Free Baking
- Prepare your pan: Line your pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and leaving some overhang. This will make it much easier to remove the bars from the pan. Remember, grain free flours do not contain gluten so they crumble easier than traditional wheat flour.
- Prepare your ingredients: For best results the eggs should be room temperature and the butter should be softened to blend easily.
- Pan size: Be sure to use the correct size pan. Using anything larger than an 8×8 pan will result in very thin, overcooked bars.
- Room Temperature: My personal preference is to enjoy these bars at room temp. Remove the bars from the fridge 30 minutes before serving to allow the butter in the blondies to soften slightly for the best taste and texture.
How do I store these bars?
These bars will last up to 5 days if stored in an air tight container in the fridge. For the best results I suggest removing them from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. If you prefer warm desserts microwave these bars in 15 second increments for a delicious treat.
Other Lemon Desserts
Get the Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Bars
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup granular monkfruit sweetener
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Lemon Frosting
- 1 cup confectioners monkfruit sweetener
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons almond milk or heavy cream, as needed to thin
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter, and granular sweetener with an electric mixer until creamy and well incorporated.
- Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture until completely combined.
- In another bowl combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
- Spoon the flour mixture into the sugar mixture, beating with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Spoon batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the blondies to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting: Combine the sweetener, cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk or heavy cream in a food processor or beat with an electric mixture until smooth and creamy. Add 1 tablespoon additional liquid if needed until it reaches your desired consistency.
Hello! This is a great post … love the ‘when life gives you lemons’ analogy. I also love these granola bars. This is the first time I’ve seen lemon poppy seed bars. What a great idea!
Thanks Helen! They are really good! And I am dying to try your Greek quesadillas! 🙂
I’m with you on those blah days! I actually just wrote a post for my blog, featuring a blah week! It seems like the tiniest things can irritate you. But these granola bars looks delicious! I love how light and springy they are, and who can go wrong with lemons? Beautiful pictures, too!
Thank goodness! It is so good to know someone else feels the same way sometimes! When I was writing this I was thinking, I sure hope this is a relatable post because otherwise I just sound like I am whining, which really wasn’t what I was trying to do! 🙂
Blah days suck! I bet these granola bars can change that. Yum! They look great.
Yes they do! And you are right, these granola bars made everything better!
What a great idea for a granola bar! Some bright lemons would sure put me in a cherry mood in the morning. A bag package of chicken can really put me in a sour mood too.
Yes there is almost nothing worse! It is frustrating to think you wasted money on something you can’t use, and it is extra frustrating when it happens twice! Fortunately, the granola bars turned our week around!
Aww! I totally have days like that too, and I can relate to the chicken incident. My husband always gets annoyed with me because whenever I cook chicken I always smell it a few times and then make him smell it before I cook with it and I always swear that it doesn’t smell quite right! Love these granola bars! Lemon and poppy seeds are the perfect combo!
Yes, I will be steering clear of chicken for a little bit! And I totally agree, lemon and poppy seeds are great together. We normally just have this flavor combo with muffins or pancakes but I thought a granola bar is a good grab and go version!
Oh I have so had days like this.Glad you woke up feeling fresh. These bars looks like a perfect cure for the blues.
So these sounds incredibly amazing. I cannot wait to make these!!
Thanks Kathleen! I hope you enjoy!
I love lemon poppy seed muffins, so I am sure to enjoy these, too. Have you made these with oil instead of coconut oil? I can’t wait to try these.
These look fabulous! I’ve yet to perfect a granola bar recipe and I cannot wait to try yours. Sounds great!
Thanks Patricia! This is one of my all time favorites!
I love any dessert that includes lemon, so I’m sure I’m going to love these! Is there any possible replacement to the coconut flour?
Hi Anna, when testing these bars they had a better texture with the coconut and almond flour mixture. However, if you want to skip the coconut flour you will need 1 cup almond flour + 2 tablespoons. I hope that helps!
I think this is gonna taste fresh! I’ll try this recipe tonight!
They look great!
Adde onto my weekend todos.
I tried these yesterday and have to say, these go great with a cup of latte
This recipe for lemon poppy seed bars sounds delicious and easy to make. The use of almond flour and coconut flour makes it a great option for those following a ketogenic diet. The instructions and tips provided are helpful and make the recipe easy to follow. I also appreciate the storage and serving suggestions, it’s always good to have options. I’ll definitely have to give these bars a try!