Cooking for Zo

Taste Level: VGR
Cost: $20 and under
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 4-5 hours
Cook Time: 20-25 min.
Difficulty: 2

If you love key lime pie you will love these key lime bars! They have been a staple treat of my birthday ever since we first met. Every year I ask Zo, "Babe are you going to make those yummy key lime par bars?" And every year we munch down on them for a couple of weeks (they are so rich you do not eat many at once.) Everyone that has tried them has loved them, except for people that do not like key lime pie because they taste a lot like a key lime pie mixed with a lemon bar. So if you do not like key lime pie I highly doubt you will enjoy these. To the key lime pie lovers out there, ENJOY!

*The recipe we adapted these from was originally found on recipezaar a few years ago, we changed the contents of the crust and topping, made changes to the method of making them but kept the filling and most cooking methods the same.*

Ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2/3 cup sugar

10 tbsp unsalted Sweet European butter (melted)

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp fresh lime zest

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice

3 tbsp whole milk

1/2 cup 1 tbsp heavy cream

12 oz white chocolate chips

6-7 fresh Mint leaves

1/4 cup white chocolate curls

1 lime sliced into thin slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rectangular lasagna baking pan with foil making sure foil extends over the sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. (For the photo we used a square baking pan with half the crust and topping for thicker bars but we prefer the thickness of the rectangular pan bars.)

Break up the graham crackers by hand and place in a food processor to process or crush with a potato smasher until you have a fine crumb mixture. Add the melted butter and sugar to the mixture and either pulse in processor or stir until combined evenly. Pour crumb mixture into baking pan and press the crumb mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking pan on a wire rack to cool while making the filling. (Leave oven on.)

In a medium mixing bowl use an electric mixer with a wire whisk attachment to beat the egg yolks and lime zest together at high speed until very fluffy, (about 5 minutes.)

Gradually add the condensed milk to the mixture and continue to beat until thick, (about 3 to 4 more minutes.) Lower the mixers speed to medium low and slowly add the lime juice, mixing until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the crust. Using a rubber spatula spread filling to the corners and smooth the surface until even. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the filling has just set and the edges begin to slightly pull away from the sides. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 15-20 minutes. Once cooled cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.

In a medium saucepan bring milk and cream to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the white chocolate chips slowly to the sauce pan, cover and let stand for 30 seconds. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the mixture aside to cool to for 15 minutes or until room temperature is reached. Stir occasionally to cool faster. Pour the cooled topping over the chilled bars and using the spatula spread into an even layer. Freeze for 2 hours before cutting into bars, garnishing and serving. Enjoy!