No Joke! These bars will blow your mind! They are so freaking delicious. I am obsessed with these bars. Zesty and Sweet. These bars are like eating mini key lime pies in bar form. There is a perfect balance of crust to key lime filling to whipped cream mixture. These bars are SO GOOD!
The inspiration...
Key Lime Pie is so tasty and I love to order a slice when I am in Florida. There is this one restaurant I go to that is called Key Lime Bistro and they make great key lime pies. When I was a kid, I thought key lime pie was a gross greenish color and it never looked as good to eat these pies as a chocolate dessert. I was very wrong to think key lime pie was gross! Key lime pie is delicious to eat. It has the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness.
I have tried many times to make the perfect key lime pie and I have failed miserably. Key lime pie is my weakness and for some reason, it never comes out tasting like the restaurant-made desert. I thought I would try to make key lime pie in bar form and make a few variations to the recipe. The weather has been getting nicer and I am still can't stop thinking about summer and lounging beachside. Finally, I made a key lime pie variation that tastes SPECTACULAR. I know I say this a lot but I could eat these key lime bars for days. In fact, I did eat a bar a day for the whole week. I did add a few extra runs in my week to balance my overeating of these amazing bars. The key to making these bars is patience. They need to set in the fridge for at least an hour but the longer the better! I let my bars set for 3 hours so these bars are easy to make a day ahead of time.
The story behind key lime pie...
Fun fact about key lime pies. There is a story that ley lime pies were invented back in the 1890s by a woman named "Aunt Sally" who concocted the pie in an old mansion with sweetened condensed milk. This story has never been verified so most people say that pie was invented by the Bourdon condensed milk company who used the recipe as advertising for their products.
Wherever key lime pies came from they are a delicious dessert and the perfect dessert to add into my rotation of sweet desserts! Be warned you will need to buy many many limes to make these bars. I had two bags of limes. For some reason, my grocery store limes were dried out and did not have a lot of juice per lime. I used about 10 limes for this recipe however, you could probably get 2/3 cup of lime juice from about 5-6 limes.
The bars are pretty easy to make and don't require a lot of prep time however, you do have to let the pie sit in the fridge for a few hours before eating. This is a great dessert to make a day ahead of a celebration.
A few tips:
Limes - buy extra limes trust me you are going to want to have backup limes just in case your limes don't have enough juice.
Crust - I used a classic graham cracker crust because that is my favorite kind of crust. You can use a different variation of the crust like with crackers but I would recommend graham crackers. I added extra butter to the crust to make sure the crackers were perfectly solidified.
Refrigerate - let these bars sit for 2 hours and don't cheat on the time. I promise these bars are worth the wait.
Whipped cream - I love sugary whipped cream so I always add probably too much sugar. You can make this whipped cream lightly sweetened with honey or maple syrup or use less powdered sugar.
Storage - these bars will last in the fridge in an air-tight container with the whipped cream on top for 5-7 days. They honestly taste even better as it ages in the fridge. I ate them all week!
Check out how to make these in the video below:
Zesty Key Lime Bars
Serving size: 24 bars
Total Time: 2 hours
Source: Adapted from half baked harvest
Crust:
2 packets of graham crackers (about 16 sleeves)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
Bars:
5 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon lime zest
2/3 cup lime juice (about 10 small limes)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or grease with spray.
Step 2: In a blender or food processor, blend the graham crackers until small crumbs form. I left I few small chunks in the graham cracker mixtures.
Step 3: In a large bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Slowly pour in the melted butter. Mix by hand or by spoon until graham crackers come together. You should be able to form a crust. Add graham cracker crust to the bottom of the baking pan and press down. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Step 4: While the crust is baking, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, and salt, until combine. Remove the crust from the oven and slowly pour the lime mixture on top of the crust. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is slightly set. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours. The longer the mixture can set the better the bars taste!
Step 5: While the bars are setting, prepare the whipped cream. Use an electric mixer to whip the heavy cream to form soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the whipped cream. Taste and adjust the sweetness based on preference.
Step 6: When the bars are ready, add the whipped cream on top, swirl into peaks on top and add a little lime zest. Slice and enjoy!
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