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key lime bars stacked up on a white serving board with powdered sugar

Key Lime Bars

Key Lime Bars are an easy key lime bar recipe with a buttery, flakey crust topped with a sweet, tangy key lime filling and powdered sugar!
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Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • 1/2 cup key lime juice
  • 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper or foil.

Prepare the crust:

  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar till light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add flour and salt, and beat on low speed until just incorporated.
  • Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Bake on the middle rack of the oven 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the filling:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and granulated sugar until well incorporated. Add the 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk until combined, then whisk in the lime juice and zest.
  • Pour the filling over the cooled crust, and bake 20-25 minutes longer, or until the filling has set. The filling will not "wiggle" when the pan is moved gently back and forth. Remove from heat and cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Once the key lime bars have cooled, cut into squares with a sharp knife, wiping the knife clean in between slices. Dust with powdered sugar, serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro tip: Place the butter and eggs on the counter to come to room temperature up to 30 minutes in advance. Cutting the butter into small pieces and placing the eggs in warm water will speed up the process. 
  • Bars should be cooled completely at room temperature.  Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
  • Refrigerate leftover key lime bars in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • One bag of key limes contains about 20 limes, which yields a minimum of 1/2 cup key lime juice.  Juice the key limes up to 2 days in advance and or freeze it until you're ready to make the bars.
  • You can easily substitute the key lime juice with any type of citrus juice. Lemon, orange, blood orange or grapefruit are all great options.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 312kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 89mg, Sodium: 85mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 35g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!