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Tangy lime bars featuring a buttery shortbread crust and a creamy lime custard filling, served cold with an optional dusting of powdered sugar.

  • Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
  • Yield: 12 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, stirred, spooned, and leveled (for crust)
  • ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar (for crust)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (for crust)
  • ½ cup (113 g) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces (for crust)
  • 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar (for filling)
  • ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, stirred, spooned, and leveled (for filling)
  • 4 large eggs (for filling)
  • 2 teaspoons lime zest (for filling)
  • ⅔ cup (159 ml) fresh lime juice (for filling)
  • A drop of green food coloring, plus yellow food coloring if desired (optional, for filling)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease an 11×7-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper with 2-inch overhang on both sides.
  2. In a food processor, combine 1 cup flour, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ cup cold butter cut into 8 pieces. Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  3. Spread the crumb mixture evenly in the prepared pan and press into an even crust.
  4. Bake crust for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
  5. While the crust bakes, whisk 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar and ¼ cup flour together in a bowl.
  6. Add 4 eggs one at a time to the sugar-flour mixture, whisking well after each addition.
  7. Mix in 2 teaspoons lime zest, ⅔ cup fresh lime juice, and optional drop of green and yellow food coloring until smooth and combined.
  8. Pour the lime filling over the hot baked crust in the pan and return to the oven.
  9. Bake for another 18 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is set and no longer jiggles when the pan is gently shaken.
  10. Let the bars cool completely in the pan (about 1 hour), then refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
  11. Using the parchment overhang, lift the bars from the pan and cut into 12 bars.
  12. Optionally dust the bars with powdered sugar before serving cold.

Notes

Using parchment paper with a 2-inch overhang allows easy lifting of bars from pan for neat cutting and serving., Pouring the filling over the hot crust ensures even custard baking., The filling is done when it no longer jiggles after baking., Fine lime zest ensures a smooth texture and concentrated lime flavor., Food coloring is optional; omitting it yields a more yellow, lemon bar-like color.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Dessert

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 232 calories per bar
  • Fat: 9 g fat per bar
  • Carbohydrates: 34 g carbohydrates per bar
  • Protein: 4 g protein per bar