Gluten free toasted coconut lemon slice

Servings: squares

Here’s a no-bake slice that’s great for school holiday ‘baking’ without baking, or for when the weather’s so warm you’d prefer to give the oven a miss. This works with most kinds of citrus - you could make it with oranges, Meyer lemons, limes, a bit of yuzu or bergamot if you find yourself in possession of it, and especially with bog-standard lemons from the garden. Your citrus choice will change the flavour of course, so give the icing a taste with only a cup of icing sugar added, and if you’re using something sweeter, like Meyer lemons or oranges, pull back and add only half a cup extra icing sugar rather than the full cup.

I’ve used GF Scotch Finger biscuits to keep this one GF, but you’re welcome to use regular Scotch Fingers if they’re already in the pantry and the dreaded G is not a factor in your household.

Most icing sugars are gluten-free in Australia, but if you’re elsewhere, it’s worth checking your packet. If using icing mixture, you’ll have less lumps to contend with, but it’ll yield a slightly softer result than classic ‘icing sugar’ because of the added cornflour. I know it looks like there’s a lot of sugar in this recipe, but remember that there are 30-odd servings, and the sweet stuff and butter is what helps it ‘stick’ without baking. If you’d prefer something that’s no-bake but with less refined sugar, try my choc-coconut crackle cups. Store in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge or for up to a month in the freezer.

Ingredients

Base

▢ 340 g (2 packets) gluten free Scotch finger biscuits
▢ 2 cups desiccated coconut
▢ 125 g butter melted (if unsalted, add 1 tsp of salt flakes)
▢ 1 cup 250g sweetened condensed milk
▢ Zest and juice of 2 medium lemons 1 tbsp zest and ⅓ cup juice

Lemon icing

▢ 2 cups 300g icing sugar
▢ Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon ½ tablespoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice
▢ 50 g butter melted

Instructions

Line a 20cm x 34cm slice tin generously with baking paper.
Pop the coconut into a pan over low heat and stir every 30 seconds or so for 7 minutes, until you see the coconut turn blonde, then turn off heat and keep stirring for another few minutes (the residual heat of the pan will keep toasting the coconut).
While your coconut toasts, chuck the biscuits into the bowl of a food processor or blender and blitz to a sandy consistency.
Set aside ½ cup of toasted coconut for the top, then transfer the rest of the coconut into the food processor with the sandy bikkies and give it all a couple of pulses to mix.
Add the melted butter to the processor bowl along with the condensed milk and the zest and juice of the 2 lemons and pulse until combined and uniformly brunette and gluey (7 or 8 times should do it).
Dump into the prepared tray and press down firmly into the corners, smoothing off the top (I use the base of a flat measuring cup).
Place into the fridge to set while you make the lemon icing. Sift the icing sugar (if it's lumpy) into a medium bowl and add the zest and juice of the other lemon, then pour in melted butter and stir about until smooth.
Dob the icing evenly onto the slice base and smooth the top with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Garnish with the reserved toasted coconut and place back in the fridge for a couple of hours to well and truly set.
When ready to slice, pull out of the tin by the edges of the baking paper and cut into quadrants, then into desired sizes. I like little squares or fingers to serve when friends come over for a cuppa.