Lime Bars

If you like key lime pie, then  you will love these bars! It's basically just key lime pie in an 8X8 dish, and made with real lime juice and a from scratch crust with lime zest to kick it up a notch from the quick style versions. I came across the recipe for Lime Bars perusing Pinterest one day. This is a straight recap (except I didn't use fat free sweetened condensed milk) of the original.

Crust

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsps salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one lime

Filling

2 large egg yolks

1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees, then grease an 8 inch square pan, line it with parchment paper that hangs over the edge of the pan by a few inches (so you can remove the bars from the pan more easily).

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and zest.

 Press into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Once the crust is cooled combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lime juice and combine. It will begin to thicken slightly.

Pour the filling into the crust, making sure the filling reaches the edges. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour, overnight is better. Pull the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares with a serrated knife. To make cutting cleaner wipe the knife with a damp cloth between cuts.

Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. They last for about five days.

Key Lime Pie

I don't like too many varieties of pies, but the ones that I do... I LOVE! Key Lime Pie is one of my chosen varieties. I had a nice recipe that I've used several times to make it, but I ran across this one (Key Lime Pie) on Pinterest and knew that I had to give it a try. This recipe has only a few ingredients, and the lime zest and fresh lime juice just add a level of yuminess that is difficult to describe in words except... yummmmmmmmm. 

6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature (I used 7 large eggs)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes) (I used 6)

The blog recipe calls for the crust, filling and decoration to be homemade, but I cheated a little and took the easy route for this first attempt and used a store bought Keebler's graham cracker crust and I really didn't even need the whipped cream, but I have some in the fridge if I decided I needed it.

The first step in this recipe is the zest and juice the lime. It's easier to zest the lime before it's cut and juiced. 

I ended up using about six limes to get the 3/4 cups of juice, and I had a lot more zest than the recipe calls for.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. I don't have an electric mixer, only a handheld, and it worked just fine.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into prepared pie shell and freeze.

Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pyrex pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool completely.

Topping

1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Thin lime wedges

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Note: If you have concerns about raw eggs, combine the yolks with 1/2 cup of the lime juice used in the recipe in a double boiler. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches 140 degrees. Use in place of the raw egg yolks, remembering to add the remaining 1/4 cup of lime juice to the filling mixture along with the condensed milk and zest.