You’re going to like these 7-ingredient key lime pie bars, a sq. model of my favourite key lime pie recipe. Cream cheese provides essentially the most pleasant cheesecake taste (and helps the bars set!), and a buttery graham cracker crust is a superb base for the tangy filling.
Like key lime pie (and even mini margarita cheesecakes!), these key lime pie bars are really some of the refreshing, flavorful spring/summer time desserts. And what? They’re extremely straightforward to make.
At this time’s recipe is usually my go-to once I want a no-fuss attention-grabbing deal with. I simply introduced them to a BBQ the opposite night time! (See much more BBQ cookout desserts.)
Why You’ll Love These Key Lime Pie Squares
All the feel and taste of conventional key lime pie, however somewhat extra cheesecake-y
And this contains the crust. I rely key lime zest AND juice as 1 ingredient… key limes!
Begin With a Crumb Crust
Beneath you’ll discover my fundamental graham cracker crust recipe. It suits right into a 9-inch sq. baking pan completely, in addition to many 8-inch and 10-inch pans, and pie dishes. I really like this explicit crust as a result of it’s altogether crunchy, buttery, thick, and never overly candy like many crumb crusts of its form. I exploit it for strawberry cream cheese pie, lemon blueberry cheesecake bars, and these mini key lime pies.
You want a cautious ratio of three elements: graham cracker crumbs, sugar, & melted butter.
Use a meals processor or blender to grind 12 full-sheet graham crackers into crumbs.
Stir the graham cracker crumbs and sugar collectively earlier than mixing within the melted butter.
Press into your lined pan simply till it’s now not crumbly. Don’t pack down too onerous.
Different crust choices:
Gingersnap Crust: The unique model of this recipe referred to as for a crust created from finely crushed gingersnap cookie crumbs blended with melted salted butter. I used store-bought gingersnaps, the onerous and crunchy form. The candy/spicy taste of the gingersnaps is an sudden and pleasant distinction to the tangy taste of key lime. In the event you’d wish to make the crust with gingersnaps, you will discover the directions within the recipe Notes. (Gingersnap cookie crumbs can be unbelievable on these the wrong way up key lime pies, too!)
Graham Nut Crust: Or you possibly can mix graham cracker crumbs with floor macadamia nuts, like I do in my favourite key lime pie recipe.
Regardless of which crumb crust you select to make use of, press it right into a 9-inch sq. baking pan lined with parchment paper, and provides it a head begin within the oven when you combine collectively your filling. (10 minutes prebake, as instructed beneath.)
Key Lime Pie Sq. Filling
This 4-ingredient filling is tart, creamy, and candy. The right stability of all three. Tangy, not bitter. Easy, with simply the fitting custard-meets-cheesecake texture.
First, you want key lime juice.
Can I Use Common Lime Juice As a substitute of Key Lime Juice?
Key limes may be tough to trace down out of season, which is almost all of the 12 months. They’re smaller, extra yellow, and somewhat sweeter than customary limes. You may substitute common limes for key limes on this recipe, or use half lime juice and half lemon juice.
Can I Use Bottled Key Lime Juice?
Sure, completely. The model I sometimes purchase is known as Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice, and it’s bought in most main grocery shops subsequent to the bottled lemon juice. Not solely does this make it potential for year-round key lime pie squares, however it’s additionally quite a bit simpler than juicing all these tiny key limes by hand!
You additionally want the next elements:
Cream Cheese: I don’t use it in my key lime pie recipe, however I needed at present’s filling to lean somewhat extra in the direction of key lime cheesecake. The flavour is refined—we’re solely utilizing 4 ounces of cream cheese within the filling (1/2 of a block), and that small quantity manages to provide the creamiest key lime pie bars on the earth. Keep away from the fat-free form.
Egg Yolks: Egg yolks stabilize and arrange the important thing lime filling.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: One 14-ounce can of full-fat sweetened condensed milk sweetens the dessert and supplies a clean texture. I additionally use this in my oatmeal lemon crumble bars.
Lime Zest: Lime zest provides the filling some colourful speckles, to not point out much more lime taste. Zest both 1 common lime or 2 key limes.
Unfold the filling over the crust whereas the crust continues to be heat. Why? This may assist the filling adhere to the crust somewhat higher.
The bars don’t take lengthy to bake to bake, however they do require cooling and chilling earlier than you’ll be able to slice into them.
Methods to Lower Neat Squares
Cool baked key lime pie bars at room temperature for about 1 hour, after which refrigerate them for two hours or till the underside of the pan feels chilly. In the event you lower the bars into squares too early, they’ll crumble. If I’m serving these at a celebration or occasion, I put together them the night time earlier than simply so I do know they’ll cool and chill lengthy sufficient to yield neat squares.
Slice them with a pointy knife and wipe the knife clear between every lower.
Are you hungry but? As a result of I don’t have any key lime pie squares left to share. 😉
You want simply 7 elements to make these easy key lime pie bars, a handheld model of my key lime pie recipe. At this time’s bars are creamy and tangy with a easy graham cracker crust. Be sure you cool and chill the bars earlier than chopping into squares.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch sq. baking pan (I really like this one and this one) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the edges to simply elevate the bars out of the pan. Put aside.
Make the crust: In the event you’re beginning out with full graham crackers, use a meals processor or blender to grind them into superb crumbs. You may as well place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into superb crumbs with somewhat arm muscle and a rolling pin. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar collectively in a medium bowl, after which stir within the melted butter. The combination will likely be thick, coarse, and sandy. Attempt to smash/break up any giant chunks. Press into the underside of the lined pan.
Prebake crust: Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes as you put together the filling within the subsequent step.
Make the filling: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high velocity till clean, about 1 minute. Beat within the egg yolks. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted. Beat within the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and lime zest till mixed. After mixing the filling together with your mixer, give it a ultimate whisk by hand to ensure there aren’t any cream cheese lumps on the backside of the bowl. Pour/spoon filling evenly onto the nice and cozy crust.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or till the sides of the bars seem set and the middle is simply *barely* jiggly.
Take away from the oven and permit to chill for half-hour at room temperature on a wire rack after which chill within the fridge for not less than 2-3 hours.
Carry the parchment paper out of the pan and lower into squares. Be at liberty to garnish with whipped cream, lime slices, and/or additional lime zest. I used Wilton 1M piping tip on the pictured bars.
The bars keep recent in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You may freeze the bars for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than serving.
Non-US Readers:Don’t have graham crackers the place you reside? Use 200g floor digestive biscuit crumbs as a substitute (about 13–14 biscuits), the identical quantity of butter, and add a bit extra sugar (about 1/3 cup, or 67g). It’s possible you’ll want so as to add just a few additional minutes to the pre-baking time, as digestive biscuits usually are not fairly as crispy-crunchy as graham crackers. And from what I perceive, spreadable cream cheese bought in a bathtub in nations exterior of the US is somewhat totally different from the spreadable cream cheese within the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and extra stable and ought to be OK to make cheesecake. I’ve no expertise with it, however that is what I’ve heard from different non-US readers.
Gingersnap Crust: The unique recipe used to name for a gingersnap crust. To make this model, mix 2 cups (240g) finely crushed crunchy gingersnap cookies with 3 Tablespoons melted salted butter. Pre-baking and baking directions stay the identical.
Can I Bake This in a 9×13-inch Pan? You may, however I’ve had higher outcomes baking a smaller batch, as written, within the 9-inch pan. If you wish to make a bigger batch, double every ingredient and bake in a 9×13-inch pan. Prebake the crust for 10 minutes, pour within the filling, and bake for about 35 minutes.
