Key Lime Pie Bars

Geez Louise. These are somethin' else.

I was never much of a Key Lime Pie fan. I think it's because my parents grew up in New York and favored chocolate cream pies or fresh Italian cookies or cheesecake. They didn't have these "exotic" types of fruit lying around, so they never really had a chance to experience anything else. So when they moved to Virginia, they stuck with what they knew and passed it along to us.

Chris' family, however, lived in Miami for many years so it's no surprise they would be huge fans of Key Lime Pie. I'm sure using fresh limes when they were in season made this pie amazing. I re-tasted it when Chris and I started dating four years ago, and I haven't turned back since.

Chris' dad recently celebrated his birthday and I made these Key Lime Bars for him to snack on. Although we usually go with the pie version, I thought these bars were super cute and could easily be shared among a group of people. This was easily the best tasting Key Lime treat I've ever had--pie or not. I don't know if it's the amount of sweetened condensed milk that was used or the fact that the crust was homemade, but boy was it delicious. Thick and creamy and so refreshing. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 2/3 of a sleeve)
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well. Line a 9-inch pan with aluminum foil. Press cruss onto the bottom of the lined pan. Bake for 8 minutes; cool on wire rack.

For the filling:

• 3 cups sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 3/4 cup key lime juice
• 1 tbsp. grated lime zest

In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix well and pour onto graham cracker crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Allow to cool to room temperature. Chill pie thoroughly before serving (at least 3 hours). Cut into 16 bars; garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut.

Source: Adapted from My Baking Addiction