Lemon Coconut Slice
As seen in my article on @YorkRegion - Renata's Table: When life gives you lemons, bake yourself a snack
Here is a perfect summer treat recipe – a no-bake, easy to make, lemon and coconut square that will be reminiscent to many of their Gran’s kitchen as this is an ages old recipe and one I had to recreate. The results are a chewy, delicate and subtle lemony flavoured, coconut treat that stores in the fridge for a cool slice of something sweet to have on hand on a hot summer’s day.
I like to up the nutrition in my recipes so I have added sesame seeds to my recipe!
Lemons are a good source of VitC which protects your heart from disease and stroke, support adrenal and kidney health, are good for liver detoxification and digestion, the citric acid in lemons help absorb iron better in the body, and studies have shown that citrus fruits help to fight certain cancers.
Coconut is a highly nutritious food. Coconuts are a rich source of manganese, which supports bone health and the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and cholesterol. Coconuts are also a good source of copper and iron, which help form red blood cells, as well as selenium, an important antioxidant that protects your cells.
Sesame seeds are a great source of plant protein, healthy fat, fiber and are rich in copper, selenium, phosphorous, zinc, iron and calcium.
These squares can be made dairy free if you use ghee or vegan butter and a coconut condensed milk.
As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Lemon Coconut Slice goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 15 Minutes / Chill Time: Overnight / Makes: 16-20 Squares
Ingredients
½ Cup Butter – dairy, ghee or vegan
½ Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk – dairy or coconut
1½ Cups Social Tea Biscuits – Crushed – about 18 biscuits (these are the cookies that look like these)
1 Cup Flaked Coconut + 1 Tablespoon for sprinkling on top
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds – Optional
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice – about the juice from 1 large lemon
1½ Tablespoons Lemon Zest - about the zest from 1 large lemon
How It’s Made
Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with parchment paper, overhanging the ends for ease of lifting out the squares.
In a medium pan on the stove top, or in a microwavable medium sized bowl in the microwave, melt the butter.
Once melted, add the condensed milk and stir together until smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the crushed tea biscuits, coconut, sesame seeds (if using), lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir to mix well.
Spread the soft mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle the top with the 1 Tablespoon of coconut and pat the coconut down.
Refrigerate overnight to firm up.
Remove the pan from the fridge and the squares from the pan using the overhanging edges of parchment paper.
Cut into 16 or 20 squares.
Store the squares in the fridge to keep them firm.
Enjoy!
Note: A neighbour told me she made my recipe with crushed ginger snap cookies and added a bit of ground ginger to the recipe and they were delicious! I will be trying this ginger lemon version soon!
