Key lime pie bars are the next best thing to an actual key lime pie. A smooth, velvety key lime cheesecake is nestled on top of a crispy, sweet graham cracker crust. Add a dollop of whipped cream for an even prettier presentation!
We were at the grocery store one day and I spotted key limes. I snatched them up immediately. “Mommy! What are those?” When I told Addie that they were key limes, she commented on how cute they were. I bought the key limes on whim and honestly had no idea what to make with them. I checked on the blog, and I have already made key lime cheesecake bars and key lime cheesecake. What was I going to bake this time?
The key lime cheesecake bars that I made last time were great. But, I wanted to try another version of them.
These key lime pie bar were smooth, silky and had the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. My husband liked these a lot better than previous version I baked. Even Addie loved these, and she’s not a big fan of tart things.
If you see key limes at your grocery store, snatch them up quickly. Then make these bars and send me some. Please?
Key lime pie bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 5 ounces animal crackers or graham crackers
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
Filling
- 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon grated lime zest
- Pinch of salt
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup key lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8"x8" square baking pan with foil or parchment paper and grease well (I recommend using two sheets of foil/parchment and overlapping them in a + sign so it makes for easy lifting).
- In a high powered blender or food processor, pulse the graham crackers or animal crackers until crumbs form. Add the sugar, salt and pulse some more until you achieve fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs into a medium sized bowl and add the melted butter. Mix until the crumbs look like wet sand. Press the crumbs into your prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the cream cheese, lime zest and salt together. Add in the sweetened condensed milk and mix until no lumps remain and the batter is smooth. Add the egg yolk and lime juice until everything is well mixed.
- Pour the cream cheese batter on top of the baked crust and bake in your oven for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is set and the batter starts to pull away from the sides. Allow to cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
- When you are ready to serve, lift the bars out by the foil or parchment paper and cut into even slices. If desired, garnish with additional lime zest, whipped cream or ice cream.