A Little Zing!

I made these bad boys to take to my mother's house for Sunday dinner because my stepfather loves key limes. We grilled outside and had steaks, sausage, potato salad, corn and these yummy lime squares. They're like a key lime pie in bar form- tart, creamy, zesty and buttery. They were a perfect ending to a family meal.

I first saw these on Two Peas and Their Pod. Maria saw them on Evil Shenanigans. Both versions looked luscious, which is why I made them--duh! They both made the crust with only graham crackers and not with pistachios like the original recipe called for. And they also used fat free sweetened condensed milk. I chose to use full fat milk because that's what I had and I added pecans to the crust. And I also added a bit more lime zest to the filling for color. It was nutty, zingy and delicious!

Either way you like, nuts or no nuts, full fat or fat free, added zest or none, you must make these. I suppose if you want something different you could make this with lemon or even grapefruit. A little goes a long way, so be sure to spread the tangy love!

Lime Squares with a Pecan-Graham Cracker Crust adapted from Everyday Baking

Crust:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
• 2/3 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup graham-cracker crumbs (1 package)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Filling:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.*

In a food processor, finely grind pecans with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice and zest; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.

Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut. To store in refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap.

NOTE: *The recipe says to line the bottom of a pan with parchment paper and leave a 2-inch over hang. This is a great idea, but I think it needs 2 pieces of parchment, one going each way so it's easier to remove. I baked mine in a metal pan and I hard time loosening the crust from the side of the pan. A second piece of parchment would have helped. In fact I had 2 pieces originally and I removed it because the recipe said to use only one...go figure.