Key Lime Pie Bars

The classic pie made into bars! These key lime pie bars are tangy, zesty, and full of fresh summer flavor. Each bite gives you a taste of a warm and crispy graham cracker crust, a smooth and creamy lime custard, and a billowy whipped cream on top.

key limes vs regular limes

Key limes and regular limes can be used interchangeably in this recipe, but they're not the same! When it comes to the two limes, here's a quick look at each one and how they differ:

Key Limes:

• Appearance: smaller and have a lighter, yellowish colored skin
• Flavor: have a stronger floral flavor and are also more acidic and tart
• Finding them: the main downside is they are harder to find. Stores typically carry regular limes

Regular Limes:

• Appearance: larger in size with a thicker, darker green skin
• Flavor: less tart, resulting in a more subtle tangy flavor for the bars
• Finding them: a lot easier to find as most stores carry them exclusively

If you want the tartness of a key lime but you're only able to find regular limes, you can simply replace a bit of the lime juice with lemon juice. To truly mimic the flavor of a key lime using regular limes, use about ⅔ of the lime juice and ⅓ lemon juice. So for this recipe, you'll need about ⅓ cup of lime juice minus 1 & ½ tablespoons. Then replace those 1 & ½ tablespoons with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

the layers

These key lime pie bars are made up of 3 distinct layers that all come together into a delicious bar. They feature a layer of warm graham cracker crust, creamy lime filling, and a sweet whipped cream on top. Here's a more detailed look at each layer:

1. Graham Cracker Crust: This recipe starts with a simple, sweet, and toasty graham cracker crust. It's a slightly scaled back version of the crust you'd find on a traditional key lime pie - but I personally like a THICK graham cracker crust, so that's what we have going on here. It's buttery and crisp and holds up perfectly against the softer filling.
2. Creamy Lime Custard: When I say this lime filling is creamy, I mean it! It features most of the usual ingredients you'd find in classic key lime pie filling, but I also like to add some heavy cream for an even richer and creamier center. The filling also includes a bit of cornstarch to help with thickening. The result is an incredible filling that's thick enough to hold sharp cuts but soft enough to melt on your tongue into a velvety smooth bite.
3. Sweet Whipped Cream: The finishing touch! It wouldn't be much of a key lime pie dessert without whipped cream on top. This cream is fluffy and soft and it adds another layer of richness. It's such a simple topping but truly helps complete the pie layers!
4. Finishing Touches: The unofficial final layer (well, not exactly a "layer"). You can leave the bars plain or top with some more graham cracker crumbs and lime zest. The bars are perfectly beautiful and delicious without the topping, but I just love how these garnishes look AND they add some extra oomf!

how to make key lime pie bars

These key lime pie bars are SO easy to make - they just need a little bit of patience while you wait for them to cool. But well worth the wait! Here are just a few tips to keep in mind when making these bars to ensure they come out perfectly:

1. Limes: Make sure to use fresh zest and juice for the best flavor! Also, when zesting, be careful not to zest beyond the green outer skin - the white underlayer is bitter.
2. Sweetened condensed milk: 14oz / 396g is usually the standard size of a can of sweetened condensed milk, but not always! So make sure to double check that your can is truly 14oz.
3. Heavy whipping cream: Use a high fat cream that's labelled "whipping" on the package. The fat content is usually between 30-40%. It offers the best richness, texture, and thickness for the lime filling.
4. Baking: To see if the bars are fully baked, the edges should just barely be browned, and if you gently shake the pan, the surface of the filling should jiggle like Jell-O.
5. Cooling: Make sure to give the bars ample time to chill in the fridge so they can set properly for the cleanest slices!
6. Whipped topping: Be careful not to overwhip the cream topping or it can separate / become gritty.

what to do with leftover egg whites

This recipe calls for 4 egg yolks. They not only help thicken the filling but they also give it a deliciously rich and creamy texture. But that just leaves the question: what do you do with the remaining egg whites?

First option would be to whip them up into a meringue and use it to top the bars with instead of whipped cream. I personally preferred the whipped cream paired with these bars, but it's totally up to you.

The second option is to use them to make egg white omelettes or use them as an egg wash for other desserts, breads, pastries, etc. If you lightly whip them up and brush it on top of puff pastry then sprinkle with sugar before baking, you have an insanely delicious snack to munch on!

Finally, you can make one of these recipes that use exactly 4 eggs whites:

• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Homemade Macarons
• Meringue Cookies
• Lime Cake (if you want to skip the pastry cream)

FAQs

Can you make these bars gluten free?
Yes! Use an equal amount of gluten free graham cracker crumbs instead. All the other ingredients are technically gluten free - but if you're on a strict diet, just double check the labels to make sure the other ingredients are all processed in a gluten free environment to ensure there's no cross contamination.

Can you use other cookies for the crust?
Yes! Any cookie with a similar texture to graham crackers will work. Just make sure it's a dry, crumbly type of cookie and not a soft / chewy variety.

Can you use regular limes?
Yes - either key limes or regular limes will work here.

Can you skip the milk powder in the whipped cream?
Yes, but you should try to serve the bars within about 1 day or the topping will start to deflate. The milk powder helps stabilize the whipped cream, keeping it thick and fluffy for longer term storage!

How do you serve key lime pie bars?
Keep the bars in the fridge until right before serving. These are best served chilled.

check out these other bar recipes!

• Cheesecake Bars
• Apricot Jam Bars
• Frosted Red Velvet Bars
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Gooey Lemon Cookie Bars
• Ooey Gooey Magic Bars

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!

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