Lime Bars

These easy lime bars are made with a crunchy and chewy buttery crust, topped with a smooth, tart topping that’s full of lime flavor, making these an ideal dessert recipe for spring and summer.

Easy Lime Dessert

Similar to lemon bars, these lime bars are bursting with citrus flavor, all by using simple ingredients! In my key lime pie cookies, the filling is more of a creamy-lime texture, where these have a very tart lime filling, with the powdered sugar sweetness balancing out the tartness.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Ingredients Needed: (See recipe card below for the full recipe)

For the Crust:

• butter – salted or unsalted butter can be used in the recipe. If you use salted butter, omit the added salt from the crust and filling.
• all-purpose flour
• salt – if using unsalted butter, a half a teaspoon of salt is best to use. If using salted butter, you can omit this salt.
• sugar – white granulated sugar will sweeten the shortbread crust that helps offset the tartness of the lime filling.

Lime Filling:

• sugar – white granulated sugar is also used in the filling to offset the tartness of the lime juice.
• lime juice – fresh is preferred
• lime zest – zesting fresh limes is best but you can use dried lime zest if that’s what you have on hand.
• eggs
• butter – unsalted or salted butter can be used. If using salted, you can omit the salt in the ingredients list.
• salt – only if using unsalted butter.
• blue food coloring – this is optional to make the lime bars a bright lime green color.
• powdered sugar – this is optional for dusting on top.

How to Make Lime Bars

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

How to Make Shortbread Crust for Lime Bars:

Use an electric mixer to mix the flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a medium or large bowl until the butter is the size of peas and the dough sticks together when pressed.

Dump the dough into a parchment-lined, 9×9 square pan, and press it into the bottom. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown around the edges. Don’t turn off the oven yet.

How to Make Lime Bar Filling:

While the crust is baking, whisk the sugar and lime juice together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Lower the heat to low and let it continue simmering.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Scoop out 1⁄3 cup of the lime and sugar mixture, and slowly pour it into the beaten eggs while whisking quickly. This will heat (temper) the eggs so they won’t cook when added to the saucepan.

Slowly pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining lime juice and sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick, about 7 minutes and coats the back of a spoon without immediately running off of it.

Remove the mixture from heat, and whisk in the butter. Once the butter is completely mixed in, add the lime zest and salt.

Add 1 small drop of blue food coloring, if desired, to make the bars green.

Whisk until everything is combined. Pour the filling over the crust, and bake the bars for 10 minutes or until the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Let the bars rest at room temperature for an hour, then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the bars are completely set.

Dust the bars with powdered sugar, slice, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe Tips

• If it looks like the eggs have cooked, run the filling through a fine mesh sieve to remove any cooked egg bits before you add the butter and lime zest.
• The natural color of the bars is yellow. You can serve them like this or add a small drop of blue food coloring to turn the bars green. The blue food coloring is optional, but when it combines with the natural yellow color of the bars, they turn green.

Craving More Recipes?

• Lemon Blondies
• Lemon Cake Mix Brownies
• Honey Lime Fruit Salad
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Lemon Poke Cake
• Puppy Chow with Lemon
• Creamy Lemon Bundt Cake
• 7Up Pound Cake

Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!

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