These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Crumble Bars are the perfect sweet treat: a crunchy base topped a creamy, tangylemon curd and a "buttery" crumble topping. They're great for sharing!
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave
Add the maple syrup, milk, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well – add an extra splash of milk if it’s looking too dry to combine
Divide the dough in half
Transfer one half of the dough into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin
Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even
Bake in oven for 10 minutes
Place the remaining half of the dough in the fridge while you make the rest (this will help it firm up and make it easier to crumble over the top after)
For the lemon curd:
Measure out the milk in a jug or measuring container
Pour the milk into a pan, leaving behind a few tablespoons of milk in the jug
Heat up the milk in the pan
Add the custard powder to the remaining milk in the jug and mix well, ensuring it has dissolved completely
Once the milk in the pan is steaming, add approximately half of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the pan
Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for around 5 minutes, until thickened
Add the lemon juice and maple syrup
Taste and add extra lemon juice or maple syrup if desired
To assemble:
Pour the lemon curd over the base until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth
Use your fingers to crumble the rest of the dough mixture over the top until it is all used up and the lemon curd is completely covered
Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown
Leave to cool then keep in the fridge for at least 4 hours until it firms up (may take slightly longer depending on the type of custard powder you use, the temperature of your fridge etc)
Cut into squares once it’s completely firmed up
Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour**You can use white rice flour or gluten-free flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.***You can use any type of plant-based milk, though results do vary depending on which one you choose: cashew, oat or coconut milk make a super thick and creamy curd, whilst almond milk will be less creamy. I like to use rice milk as it creates a just-set lemon curd-like consistency which I love.****If you can’t get hold of a shop-bought custard powder, you can substitute it with the same amount cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot, which will result in the same texture, though the colour will be considerably less yellow. To add yellow colour, I would suggest adding a tiny pinch of saffron, which I much prefer to turmeric as it has a much milder flavour.