These Key Lime Pie Bars are divine! A sweet and tart filling tops a buttery graham cracker crust. The perfect dessert!
Key Lime Perfection
Key Lime Pie is one of those desserts. For me, it’s one that I don’t often think of when contemplating a delicious dessert to make or seek out. And honestly? I’ve always thought of it as a difficult recipe for some reason. And thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Key Lime Pie is a tart, mouthwatering, cool sweet treat that YOU need to make as soon as possible. I take the classic recipe and make it casual in bar form. Think of these bars as the shorts-and-flip-flops version of the Florida Keys (where the traditional recipe hails from), as opposed to the gussied up “pie” version.
Read on to learn more about these unreal Key Lime Pie Bars.
What Is Key Lime Pie?
Key Lime Pie originated in Key West, Florida in the 1930’s. A number of recipes including the ingredients that make up Key Lime Pie were published during this time, but it wasn’t until 1940 that a recipe was published by the name that stuck for years to come.
This tart treat includes sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and key lime juice. Most commonly, the mixture is baked in a graham cracker shell and topped with whipped cream. It’s packed with flavor, with the creamy and cool whipped cream countering the puckering key lime juice perfectly.
Tips For Making Key Lime Pie Bars
A few things to consider when you set out to make these Key Lime Pie Bars:
- Add enough butter to the crust. The perfect graham cracker crust is made with the proper ratio of butter to graham cracker. Too little butter, and the mixture won’t hold together. Too much butter and it will impact the flavor and the texture. You want just enough to hold the graham crackers together, with a small amount of sugar to sweeten it up.
- Use Key Lime Juice! Key Limes are smaller and sweeter than conventional limes, making them ideal for desserts. Need I mention that the name of this dessert literally is indicative of their use?! If you can’t find key limes in your grocery store, you can find the juice bottled (you may need to seek it out online).
- Completely combine your ingredients. This recipe calls for first whipping the egg yolks and then adding additional ingredients. This allows for a smooth batter, which is precisely what you want in a recipe like this.
- Add the whipped cream with a heavy hand. This recipe is quite tart. The addition of cool and creamy whipped cream perfectly balances the ley lime pucker.
Looking for other sweet treats?
Key Lime Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust:
- 2 cups graham crackers
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
For the key lime pie filling:
- 3 yolks
- 2 limes, zested
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cups key lime juice
For the whipped cream:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp powdered sugar
Instructions
For the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Add graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form.
- Add mixture to a large bowl, add sugar, and drizzle with melted butter. Toos until combined and mixture is completely moistened.
- Press mixture into an 8 by 8 baking pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to firmly press it down.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
For the key lime pie filling:
- Meanwhile, prepare the key lime pie filling. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the egg yolks. Whisk until they begin to pale and are thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the lime zest and sweetened condensed milk, mixing until completely combined, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the key lime juice. Pour mixture over parbaked graham cracker crust and return to oven for another 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking.
- Allow pan to cool before placing in the refrigerator to completely chill for at least 4 hours. This allows the filling to set, which is key!
For the whipped cream:
- Place chilled cream into a metal or glass bowl (bonus if you can chill the bowl in advance - this will help your cream whip faster!). Whip until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar continuing to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Top key lime bars with whipped, using a pastry bag fit with a star tip if you'd like to present them as I do. Garnish with key lime wedges!