Tara Riddle: Lime bars to the rescue (recipe)

Unsure what to make for that next special occasion? Well, another summer citrus favorite is headed your way! This next recipe gives homage to the lime through my bright and citrusy key lime bars. You do not have to use actual key limes for this dessert. You can use regular limes that your local market has.

Limes are extremely fragrant, so they make a great home deodorizer. Throw a few peels in the garbage disposal to give your kitchen a tropical aroma or use lime water in a spray bottle and spritz around your house for a fresh and clean smell.

When mixed with baking soda, limes can work their magic on stained laundry. This is an excellent natural alternative to harsh chemicals and bleach. I personally love limes. I put them in my sparkling water all the time, plus lime juice is a great mixer for cocktails.

These lime bars will be a hit at your next outdoor barbecue. They are different from lemon bars, because you use condensed milk and sour cream for the filling. I think they set quicker than lemon bars as well.

And, while lemon bars use a shortbread crust, lime bars use a cinnamon graham cracker crust. This gives an interesting twist to the classic key lime pie. You can also turn this into a gluten-free option by choosing gluten-free graham crackers.

Graham cracker crust

1 1/2 cups of cinnamon graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Key lime filling

2 cans (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup full fat sour cream

1 tablespoon lime zest (2-3 limes)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8 metal pan with parchment paper. For the crust, we will bust out the food processor and make our graham cracker crumbs. We want 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.

In a mixing bowl, we want to combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. You can use your fingers or a wooden spoon to mix this all together. It should resemble wet sand. You want to pat your crust mixture down into your pan nice and flat to the edges. Then bake your crust for 8-10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, we are going to start the filling. This is super easy. Get a large mixing bowl and combine the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, sour cream, lime zest and vanilla. Whisk or beat with a hand mixer and combine until smooth and creamy. Next, gradually mix in your fresh lime juice. Blend until totally combined.

Once the crust is done and out of the oven, pour your key lime filling over the crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 13-15 minutes, or until the filling is set. If you shake the pan a little, the center should not be jiggling too much, but a little jiggle is good.

We are going to let our lime bars cool a bit and place them in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then we can pull them out of the fridge and pop our parchment paper out of the pan. Now you can slice your bars into squares with a knife.

To serve, you can top with a little whip cream, lime zest, and a very thin lime slice. Enjoy!

Tara Riddle is a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Select. She also works at the Farmer’s Market in Carson City or Black Rock Bison.