Our honeymoon in Southern Italy consisted of three major food groups: pasta, wine, and limoncello everything. As we twisted and turned through the harrowing drive from Sorrento to Conca Dei Marini, across the dramatic natural setting below steep cliffs along the coast, I couldn’t help but notice all the little specks of yellow and deep green painted on every facade and planted along rocky terrain. I whispered to the driver, “Puo abbassare il finestrino, per favore?” And with the slightest crack in the window, the fragrant aroma of citrus and sea smacked me in the face like a wet lemony towel. It was in that moment, I knew, I was in love.
Back home and 15 lbs heavier from our glutton-filled adventure, it was time to shed the vacation weight and begin training again. A true baker at heart, I wanted to preserve those romantic dessert-filled memories of limoncello gelati in the piazza, delizia al limone from Pasticceria Pansa, shots of homemade limoncello from our villa’s owner, even the lemon peel olive oil pressed from his own vineyard. I wanted all of it without the extra bodily baggage.
Here comes the story of our journey into keto, a very low carb, high fat diet that shares many of the same principles with the Atkins diet and similarly low carb diets we are all too familiar with. My husband and I started the year with the decision to go on a 30-day diet famously promoted on the Joe Rogan podcast called “The Carnivore Diet.” As the name suggests, you only eat meat. That’s it. No pastries, no desserts. Fast-forward 30 days later and 10 lbs lighter, we were able to incorporate a few items back into our meals including nuts and some sugar alternatives. This is called the “High Protein Ketogenic Diet” with the intent to eventually move into a “Mediterranean Diet,” a blue-zone approach to eating. For me, this opened an opportunity to go back to baking without all the added sugar.
After one taste of this refreshing treat, we are – what the kids say – shook. They’re absolutely to-die-for and you’d never guess they’re sugar free. Though we can’t fly back to the Amalfi coast during these crazy times, we can at least enjoy a slice of it and relive the moment.
CHEF’S NOTES
Not all sugar substitutes are created equal. For this, I opted for Lakanto Monkfruit, a calorie-less fruit sweetener with a high dextrose taste perception; pre-blended with Erythritol, a naturally occurring sugar alcohol by-product of fermentation. It’s delicious and an easy find at Costco. Both the sweetener and almond flour are regularly stocked items and conveniently sized for our test kitchen experiments. Butter and olive oil are interchangeable for this recipe, so feel free to play around with the ratios. I stuck with all Kerrygold salted for this one, but a lemon scented olive oil would easily work wonders. There’s always a secret to my recipes and this one is probably one of my favorites. Lemon sugar is a pastry chef’s #flavortown, #baam, #5-shots-of-vodka, #tastemaker and happens to work perfectly with the sugar alternative. If you don’t have mascarpone, a staple in my fridge, cream cheese works just as well. Baking times will vary from 25-35 mins, and surprisingly, I made mine in the air fryer. Probe it, if it reads 190f or the toothpick comes out clean, it’s ready. The glaze is best when made right before you’re ready to use it.
| Prep Time | 15 mins |
| Cook Time | 30 mins |
| Passive Time | 10 mins |
| Servings |
bars
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- 1/2 c Butter, softened Gold Standard Kerrygold, Sub Olive Oil
- 3/4 c Sugar Alternative Lakanto Monkfruit, any 1:1 sugar substitute
- 1/4 c Lemon Zest From approx 2 lrg Lemons
- 2 lrg Eggs We love Nellies Fresh Farm Eggs
- 2 tbls Mascarpone Sub Cream Cheese
- 1 c Almond Flour For cakier blondies, add an extra 1/4 c
- 2 tbls Lemon Juice, fresh
- 2 tbls Limoncello I used Caravella, I also like to add a little more 😉
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt I prefer Italian or French Sea Salt
- 1/2 c Powdered Sugar Alternative I ran mine through the coffee grinder
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Limoncello Again, I spiked mine a little more
Ingredients
For the Lemon Bliss Brownies
For the Glaze
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- Preheat your oven or air fryer to 350f degrees. We love our Instant Vortex air fryer for all types of baking. Line a square 8 in pan (or your favorite brownie pan) with baking spray and parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, begin softening the butter on low/medium speed with the paddle attachment.
- In a separate bowl, zest lemons and add the sugar alternative. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar until nice and fragrant.
- Add sugar to the butter and continue mixing for 2 mins. Add eggs one at a time until thoroughly blended. Add the mascarpone, salt, lemon juice and limoncello. At this point, the mix may look a little broken, that's normal for this type of sugar. The emulsification will happen once the dries go in.
- Combine the almond flour and baking powder. Turn the speed down to low. Add the dries to the mixing bowl and continue mixing until the mixture forms a batter. Immediately stop the mixer and transfer to the pan.
- Alternative Method: If you are using Olive Oil or 50/50 melted butter and oil, throw all the ingredients in a food processor and let it rip for about 30 seconds. It's that easy.
- Bake for approx. 25-35 mins. It will vary depending on where you live and what oven you are using. Don't worry if the top gets a little dark, the caramelization adds incredible flavor. Test using a thermometer or toothpick for doneness.
- Remove pan from the oven once it is done and allow to cool for 10-15 mins. Pop it in the fridge for about 10 more mins if the blondies are still too soft.
- Remove the brownies from the pan lifting up using the sides of the parchment paper or turning it out onto a sheet tray.
- Add 3/4c of the granulated sugar alternative to any standard spice/coffee grinder. Blitz it for about 20-30 sec and you'll get perfectly powdered sugar. Combine the powdered sugar alternative and lemon juice. Add more of either ingredient to achieve the right texture you desire for the icing/glaze.
- Spread the glaze evenly onto the top of the brownies. Grate some additional zest on top for a splash of color and flavor, then allow the glaze to set for about 10 mins before cutting into them.
- Pour a glass of prosecco, garnished with a fresh slice of lemon and a splash of limoncello, for yourself and enjoy together for the ultimate Southern Italian experience.
