Gluten & Dairy Free Meyer Lemon Bars with Gingersnap Crust

Each year I wait for Meyer Lemons to show up in the produce section of the store so I can make lemon curd. Last year I had an idea to combine two of my favorite things, lemon and ginger. Instead of a shortbread crust I used crushed gluten free gingersnaps. It made such a difference.  This year I'm refining the recipe to be dairy free as well as gluten free. I did some researching and cataloguing of the different ratios of egg, lemon juice, sugar, butter, flour, etc. My conclusion is that butter is not an essential ingredient and that less sugar makes the Meyer Lemon flavor shine through. I also refuse to add any additional powdered sugar on top because again, it just takes away from that wonderful lemon flavor that only makes a short appearance each winter.

Ingredients
7 ounces of gluten free gingersnap cookies (1 bag from Pamela's)
1 egg white
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp meyer lemon zest (about 10 small lemons)
1 cup fresh meyer lemon juice (about 10 small lemons)
7 egg yolks
2 whole eggs

Make
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Line an 8x8 glass baking dish with parchment paper.
In a food processor whirl the gingersnaps until they have been completely and uniformly crushed crushed into small crumbs.
In a medium bowl combine the crushed gingersnaps, egg white, and coconut oil. Mix until a ball of dough forms.
Press the dough into lined baking dish, making sure to flatten the surface evenly. I used the bottom of a measuring cup to do this.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is firm and the edges have begun to darken.
While the crust is baking, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl.
Add the lemon zest and juice and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together well.
Add to the lemon and sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
After the crust is done, pour the lemon mixture on to the hot crust.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes or until the lemon curd has begun to pull away from the sides of the baking dish. The center should be well set and shouldn't jiggle much when touched.
Allow to cool completely and chill in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.