It’s time to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring with lemon blueberry bars. Allergy season promises to be anything but mild this year with the extreme winter weather many areas have experienced.

Enjoy these allergen-free bars before your sneezing, watery eyes and nasal congestion get the better of you. The recipe uses sunbutter and sunflower seeds but can easily be modified to use other types of seeds or nut, depending on your preference or allergies. Coconut butter also can be replaced with coconut oil.

Here's what you need:

Bottom Layer

3/4 cup sunflower seeds, ground into a flour
1/4 cup fine unsweetened coconut flakes
2 T. coconut butter
dash of sea salt
zest of one lemon
1 T. unsweetened sunbutter

Middle Layer

Meat from one large avocado or two small
1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/4 cup softened coconut oil or coconut butter
Optional: Stevia, to taste

Top Layer

3 T. coconut oil plus 3 T. coconut butter, softened
Zest and juice of one lemon

Here's what you do:

For the bottom layer, grind the sunflower seeds into a course flour in a food processor or spice grinder. Continue adding the other ingredients to form a grainy dough. Press the dough into the bottom of a regular-sized loaf pan. I opted for a silicone loaf pan. Place the loaf pan in the fridge or freezer to harden up the bottom layer.

Without cleaning your food processor, add the middle layer ingredients and blend until smooth. Spread the lemon blueberry filling evenly over the bottom layer. Return the loaf pan to the fridge or freezer.

For the top layer, soften the coconut oil/coconut butter mixture in a microwave or over a pan of warm water for a raw version. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Continue stirring until the topping is thick and creamy. Use a spatula to spread the lemon topping over the filling. Return to the fridge or freezer for a few hours to harden. When ready to serve, cut into bars. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.