Jan
2013
Lime Bars….delish
Jared spent most of the week between Christmas and New Years in Florida with his family (I stayed here and went to work…). I was excited to see him when he got home….but even more excited when I saw his step-dad had sent him home with a bag FULL of key limes. Key limes! Here in California, they’re silly expensive and we rarely have them in the stores so I never buy them. But there in my kitchen was a whole bag of them!
So….what to do with them?
My mind went to only one thing….why not replace my favorite lemon bars with limes for an added twist. And what about a graham cracker crust? Yes, please.
So on the last day of 2012, I happily spent an hour or so in the kitchen with my key limes making a recipe that I will likely make again and again and again and again. They just may be in the top 15 of things I ate in 2012…
I didn’t have a recipe and thought of just literally replacing the lemon bars with limes, but wanted to spice it up a bit. So I changed things and wandered through the grocery store and came up with stuff and started cooking…..but then in the middle of it, I randomly found a Martha Stewart recipe and realized mine were almost exactly like hers…..even with the key limes. So, I’ll just give you her tried and true recipe here and hope that you make them, like now.
Martha Stewart’s Key Lime Bars (i changed mine just a tiny bit, so they’re pretty much still hers so this is her recipe…)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
- 2/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- For the crust: Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch baking dish.
- Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool completely.
- For the filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk, 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. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
And there ya go! These were the very first things I ate in 2013 (yes, I was really hungry when we got home and couldn’t resist a small piece) and Jared and I snacked on them all New Years Day. I meant to share them with my mom because she loves everything lime, but they’re not very transportable (mushy top) and need to stay refrigerated, so I’ll just have to make them for her another time.
And P.S. ummm…in the middle of squeezing my precious key limes into juice, I noticed the sticker on the limes said “Mojito Limes”…..so maybe they turned out not to actually be key limes (Jared and Joe, you tricked me?) but the good part is, I’m pretty sure this recipe would be fantastic with any kind of lime, so no need to wait to go to Florida and pick up real key limes.
Happy baking!
– Have you ever thought you were making something up only to find out it’s already an “official” recipe?
– What’s the first thing you ate in 2013? (I know it’s almost been a week now so you might not remember..)
– Do you like lemons/limes and tart flavors?
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance
January 7, 2013 at 8:48 am (132 days ago)I love limes (hello margaritas!!), and especially the sweet and tart combo–like key lime pie! What a great dessert!
Rebecca
January 7, 2013 at 10:31 am (132 days ago)key lime pie is one of my favorites too!
Richard
January 7, 2013 at 9:16 am (132 days ago)Where was my lime bar this morning?
Rebecca
January 7, 2013 at 10:31 am (132 days ago)sorry, we ate them all
and they’d get too squished in the car
Alysha (@shesontherun)
January 7, 2013 at 9:26 am (132 days ago)I’m so jealous of these bars! We cannot get key limes in Wisconsin so I have to use the artificial juice. gag!
Rebecca
January 7, 2013 at 10:31 am (132 days ago)yuck, i don’t like the artificial juice stuff either…has that weird aftertaste
Jessica @ Fit Talker
January 7, 2013 at 9:49 am (132 days ago)They’re tiny, right?
I bought a bag of key limes a few months ago to make key lime pie and wanted to stick the juicer in my eye after spending over 30 minutes juicing teeny tiny limes to get half a cup. Yikes!
Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog
January 7, 2013 at 10:17 am (132 days ago)Sounds delicious! I don’t know if I’ve ever had a real key lime. Living in the Midwest, they aren’t easy to come by here either. I’m going to Florida in the Spring, so I’ll have to put them on my must-try list.
Kerry
January 7, 2013 at 10:49 am (132 days ago)Thank you for the recipe! I always make lemon bars but I’ve never made lime bars! They look so good.
Jodea @ chillichocolatelove.com
January 7, 2013 at 12:48 pm (132 days ago)Mouthwatering. I love tart flavours! My favourite apples are Braeburns and Granny Smiths.
Sadly the first thing I ate was cheap chocolates this year after getting in from the pub. But I’ve been making up for it since with the wholesome food and no alcohol!
Rebecca
January 7, 2013 at 2:10 pm (132 days ago)I gave up alcohol on the 1st too!
Jodea @ chillichocolatelove.com
January 8, 2013 at 11:38 am (131 days ago)I’ve been feeling fine about it but just saw a picture of a glass of red wine and had a sudden pang! Must. Be. Strong.
Alex @ therunwithin
January 7, 2013 at 4:34 pm (132 days ago)drool. I love lime flavor
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
January 7, 2013 at 5:32 pm (132 days ago)I love anything with lemon or limes, so these sound amazing. I will definitely be trying them. Thanks for the recipe!!
Rebecca
January 8, 2013 at 3:05 pm (131 days ago)hope you like them!
Luv What You Do
January 7, 2013 at 5:55 pm (132 days ago)I made pancakes for New Years day breakfast…yummy!
I’m not sure why I didn’t pack some citrus to take home with my from Florida. I had an amazing grapefruit down there and should have grabbed some limes : )
Rebecca
January 8, 2013 at 3:04 pm (131 days ago)next time….
helennaturally
January 7, 2013 at 6:52 pm (132 days ago)Oh yum I love lime desserts!! Lemon ones as well
Theresa @ aspoonfulofsunshine
January 7, 2013 at 8:34 pm (131 days ago)I love citrus in baked goods but for some reason always forget that I do!! Ah thanks for the reminder Rebecca, I need to get some Lime Bars in my life soon
jessielovestorun
January 7, 2013 at 8:39 pm (131 days ago)Ha Ha those tricksters! At least the bars came out delicious =)
Sara @my less serious life
January 8, 2013 at 3:14 am (131 days ago)i make lemon bars all the time – but lime bars – why haven’t i thought of that! these would be great for an easter treat!!!
Rebecca
January 8, 2013 at 3:04 pm (131 days ago)yeah, perfect for easter!!
Apples and Arteries
January 8, 2013 at 6:06 am (131 days ago)Yum. First meal of 2013 was apple crisp for breakfast
Fruit, grains…healthy, right?!
Rebecca
January 8, 2013 at 3:04 pm (131 days ago)YUM, that’s a great first meal of the year
Natalie @ Free Range Human
January 8, 2013 at 6:27 am (131 days ago)Those look yummy! I’m sure my first meal of 2013 was my oatmeal for breakfast!
Rebecca
January 8, 2013 at 3:03 pm (131 days ago)oatmeal is a great way to start the year!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie
January 8, 2013 at 7:01 am (131 days ago)Umm, yum!! Key lime is one of my favorite flavors, I am so jealous!