Key Lime Bars

I LOVE key lime pie! I had my very first taste of real key lime pie (not the florescent green goop you get in the grocery store) on my family’s very first trip to the Florida Keys when I was 13. Ever since that fateful day I’ve been hooked.

I can’t believe I’m sharing this, but here’s a picture of my sister, my grandpa, and I during our first visit to the keys on a catamaran.

Oy...check out those glasses and high-waisted shorts!

I wanted to branch out and try something other than a pie, so when I found this recipe for key lime bars I knew it was a must-try. The original recipe for these bars calls for animal crackers to make the crust instead of gingersnaps. When I went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for these bars the only animal crackers I could find were the frosted variety and those just won’t do. So, I decided to go with gingersnaps. I love the spicy contrast the gingersnaps give to the tangy lime filling…I highly recommend it!

Key Lime Bars

Ingredients:

Crust

5 oz gingersnaps

3 T packed brown sugar (light or dark)

  Pinch table salt

4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Filling

2 oz cream cheese , room temperature

1 T grated lime zest, minced

  Pinch table salt

1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg yolk

1/2 C fresh lime juice, either Key lime or regular

Garnish (optional)

1/4 C sweetened shredded coconut, toasted until golden and crisp

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut about 12-inch length extra-wide heavy-duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2-inch width. With folded sides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8-inch-square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

TO MAKE THE CRUST: In work bowl of food processor, pulse gingersnaps until broken down, about ten 1-second pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, ten to twelve 1-second pulses (if large sugar lumps remain, break them apart with fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about ten 1-second pulses. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: While crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.

The bars hot from the oven.

Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using, and serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days (but seriously I doubt you’ll have leftovers); crust will soften slightly. Let bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.)

The bars removed from the pan and cut.

The finished product with a little sprinkling of toasted coconut.

Makes 16 2-inch bars

Source: adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

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