Citrus Recipe #1329: Lime Bars

Ok clearly that number is highly exaggerated but it’s coming from a small place of truth. At home, I can be a one-dimensional citric-acid loving woman. If it ain’t lemons, it’s oranges or limes (or all three together in a heavenly menage e trois!) that I’d use in any recipe that I could get away with ‘citrifying’.

I had this blog post for Lime Bars sitting and gathering dust for a while now (in fact my blog laundry is getting rather backed up but I digress). It was only after I drooled and read Lisa’s gorgeous Lemon Bars from Tartine that I remembered it. In any case, my citrus cravings kicked in and seeing that I only had limes on this particularly slow day, I made another batch quicksmart.

Though it doesn’t have the sublime brown butter shortbread base that Lisa’s Lemon Bars had, the shortbread crust in this recipe is still beautifully crumbly and soft. And though I love all my citrus children equally, I definitely prefer limes in this recipe over lemons.

Be careful not to overbake the shortbread base but bear in mind that it’d get more crumblier and softer after a day or two. And no matter what I did, line the tin, grease the tin, leave the non-stick tin bare, the edges of the shortbread base will always brown and stick like buggery. Easiest way is to line the tin with foil or strong baking paper so you can use it to lift the whole slice out of the tin and use a big knife to cut off these wayward browned edges.

Now if only Lisa will proverbially kick me up the backside to clean out my blog laundry more often!


Lime Bars

Ingredients

Base

2 C plain flour
2/3 C icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
225g butter softened and diced into small cubes (equals to 8oz or 2 sticks)

Filling

5 large eggs
2 C caster sugar
1/2 C freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C plain flour

Method

Preheat over to 180°C / 350°F and grease or line a baking pan measuring approximately 32.5cm x 22.5cm.

Base: In a food processor, process the flour, icing sugar, baking powder and butter until crumbly and just comes together. Alternatively rub or cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs.

Press into the baking pan to form an even layer and bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly brown.

Filling: In a second bowl, combine eggs, sugar, lime juice, flour and baking powder. Pour mixture over the hot shortbread crust and bake for a further 20 – 25 minutes until set and lightly browned on top.

When completely cool, dust with icing sugar.

Tagged as: Citrus, Lime Bars, Slices