Key Lime Pie Bars Recipes

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

Steps:

• PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8x8 square baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, set aside.
• CRUST: In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Make sure all the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, leave the oven on.
• FILLING: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the yolks for 2 minutes. Add the condensed milk and continue to whisk for another 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, add the lime zest. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the lime juice, let the mixer run for 2 minutes once added. The pie mixture will be slightly thicker when done. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 15 minutes.
• SERVE: Cool completely on wire rack. Filling will set as it cools. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and ideally overnight. Slice and serve chilled.

KEY LIME PIE CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a 9-by-13-inch baking pan of hot water on the bottom oven rack.
• Line a second 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang around the edges, and coat with cooking spray. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Pour in the butter and pulse until the crumbs are well coated and stick together when pinched. Press evenly into the bottom of the foil-lined pan.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, lime juice, vanilla and eggs to the food processor (no need to clean it first). Process until smooth, using a spatula to scrape the sides as needed.
• Pour the filling over the crust and smooth the surface. Bake on the center rack until the center is just set but slightly jiggly, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven with the door closed for 10 minutes. Open the door halfway and leave the pan in the oven until the cheesecake is firmly set around the edges and very slightly jiggly in the center, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• When ready to serve, lift the cheesecake out of the pan using the foil overhang. Cut into 12 large pieces (or 24 small pieces if preferred) and place on a serving platter. Generously dust with powdered sugar and grate over lime zest.

CRUNCHY KEY LIME PIE BITES ON ICE CREAM

Steps:

• To make the Key lime pie bites: Get your oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and kosher salt and mix it with your hands until it's all like wet sand.
• Line a loaf pan with parchment paper so the paper hangs over the sides by an inch or two. Put the graham sand in there and give it a firm press onto the bottom so you have an even packed layer that's a smidge more than an inch. Bake, rotating the pan once, until the edges start to darken a shade but the center isn't quite done, 12 to 15 minutes.
• While you're waiting, whisk together the condensed milk, Key lime juice, and egg yolks so they're well mixed. When the crust is done, pour on the lime mixture, give the pan a couple of taps on the counter so the lime stuff settles evenly, then bake again until the lime mixture is just barely set in the center, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Let this bad boy come to room temperature, then pop it in the fridge until it's cold and it's good to go. It keeps, covered, in the fridge for a week or the freezer for two.
• To serve: Run a knife along the edges of the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift out and cut the bars into roughly 1-inch crunchy Key lime pie babies. Scoop the ice cream into bowls (or just leave in the carton), top with the Key lime pie bites, and garnish with a pinch of flaky salt. Eat.

KEY LIME BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, then brush with melted butter. Place pan in the freezer until needed.
• Cream butter for crust in a bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in flour, brown sugar, and salt. If mixture does not hold together, knead it on a work surface. Place mounds of the mixture in the cold baking pan; press with your fingers to smooth it into a firm layer on the bottom.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly colored, about 18 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, prepare lime layer: pour 2 tablespoons regular lime juice into a small bowl. Discard any extra, or reserve for another use. Add lime zest and Key lime juice; mix to combine.
• Combine sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer at high speed for 1 minute. Stir in lime zest-juice mixture and food coloring.
• Remove crust from the oven and immediately pour lime mixture over top. Return to the oven and bake until top is light colored and custardy, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool, about 30 minutes. Move to the freezer and chill for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the pan and cut into 16 squares. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar on top.