Currently baking out of Great Cookies by Carole Walter
Out of everything I’ve baked out of this book, these bars are by far my favorite. They are a little time consuming to make, but the finished product is pretty to look at and full of intensely tart key lime flavor.
There are two main components to this recipe. One is a graham cracker crust. The other is a key lime filling made out of key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, lime zest and a couple of egg yolks. First you put down a layer of the graham cracker crust and bake it. Then you layer on part of the filling and bake it. Then another layer of graham cracker crust goes on and gets baked, followed by a top layer of the filling (which is also baked). Finally, toasted coconut is sprinkled on top, and the bars are left in the fridge for a few hours to firm up.
I could hardly wait to cut into these. The filling is tart but sweet and silky smooth. The graham cracker crusts soften up and lose their crunch, but they add a nice sweetness and a bit of texture to the bars. The bars are intense, so a little goes a long way. I’m already dreaming up ways to use the key lime filling in other desserts.
Don’t be put off by the time-consuming comment. It is only time consuming because you have to bake each layer and then let it cool slightly before adding and baking the next layer. The layers themselves are really easy to make.
You take the best pictures! These look so pretty. My mom would love these. The fact that they “…are a little time consuming to make” would make me hesitate to try them. My confidence is just not there. I think my mom will want you to open your shop next door to her! LOL