Key Lime Pie Bars

Please note: This is a repost of my original post; I changed my recipe sl. by adding an extra egg yolk.

Key lime pie just might have to be part of my final meal on Earth.

I know that sounds rather morbid…but when it’s time to cash in my chips, this is the dessert I think I want to be gumming down in my last moments. It is my ultimate favorite dessert.  I’m a citrus dessert lover any day over anything else. These bars are the perfect yin and yang balance. I love the tang of the filling and the sweet white chocolate topping in these bars. This is a great recipe to bring to a shower or potluck. It is super easy and everyone seems to love them.

2 (5 oz.) packages Pepperidge Farm Gingerbreadman cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 Tablespoons sugar

5 egg yolks (from large eggs)

1 large egg

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup bottled key lime juice (I like Nellie & Joe’s brand)

grated lime zest; from 2 limes

2 drops green food coloring *optional

1/3 C heavy cream

8.0 oz. white chocolate chopped fine (I like Lindt)

Preheat the oven to 350 º. Line a 9×13 inch pan with a parchment paper sling both length wise and width wise so that there is at least a 2 inch overhang.

Pulverize the 2 packages of cookies in the food processor until fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine. Press the mixture firmly in the bottom of the pan and bake at 350º for about 12-14 minutes until the crust appears mostly firm. Remove the pan from the oven, place on a wire rack, and let the crust cool while you work on the filling.

Filling: Whisk the egg yolks and whole egg until thoroughly combined. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, and drops of food coloring; whisk until smooth and combined.

Pour the filling over the crust and bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes until the filling appears set when you jiggle the pan. Do not over bake. The filling might appear slightly wet but as long as it does not appear too loose when jiggled,  it is perfect.

Let the bars cool completely and then refrigerate the bars until very chilled; at least 2 hours. Once the bars are chilled prepare the white chocolate topping..

White Chocolate topping: In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream until boiled; remove from the heat. Place the chopped white chocolate in a medium bowl and pour over the hot heavy cream and let the mixture sit for about 20 seconds, then slowly whisk the mixture until it is combined and smooth;try not to incorporate too much air into the mixture. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture over the cooled bars and return the pan to the refrigerator and let the bars cool for several hours or even overnight before cutting.

Lift the solid mass out from the pan and peel away the sides of the parchment paper and cut the bars into desired size. They are rich so don’t cut them too big.

Happy Baking

Suzie