Key Lime Bars With Animal Cracker Crust Recipes

KEY LIME BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Mix together 1 1/4 cups flour, graham cracker crumbs, butter and confectioners sugar to form a soft dough.
• Press the dough into an ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking pan and bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, beat together the sugar, lime juice, remaining 1/4 cup flour, eggs, and lime peel until well mixed.
• Pour over the hot crust and return the pan to the oven.
• Bake until set, around 20 minutes or so.
• Cool on a wire rack and then cut into bars.
• Dust with confectioners sugar.
• These freeze well.

KEY LIME BARS

Steps:

• Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (Leave oven on.)
• Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.
• Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
• Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Put cream in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime.

KEY LIME PIE BARS WITH COCONUT CRUST

Steps:

• Combine the crumbs, coconut and sugar; add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch pan lined with non stick foil (leave enough excess on two sides for easy removal).
• Bake at 350º for 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Keep oven on.
• Beat egg yolks and zest on high till thick, about 5 minutes. Lower mixer speed and slowly add the sweetened condensed milk. Return mixer speed to high and beat 3 more minutes, Add in lime juice and mix till combined.
• Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes. Cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

KEY LIME BARS WITH ANIMAL CRACKER CRUST

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325°.
• Cut about 12" length extra-wide heavy duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2" width. WIth folded sides facing down, fir foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8" square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. SPray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• In workbowl of food processor, pulse animal crackers 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 clumps 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, 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.
• 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).
• 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, 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate unti thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.
• Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking panusing foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted with toasted coconut and serve. Can refrigerate for up to 2 days, crust will soften slightly. Let refrigerated bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.
• Can make triple citrus bars using 1 1/2 teaspoons each of grated lime zest, lemon zest, and orange zest (mince zest after measuring), and using 6 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tablespoons orange juice.