At this time of year, with so many end~of~year parties coming up, you may find yourself in a position where you need to produce a big batch of delicious desserts. Well, look no further…I have a great recipe for you. The other day I needed to make a couple hundred bite-sized desserts for a graduation reception. Most of the other bakers were bringing chocolate treats, so wanted to make something fruity. 

I’ve always enjoyed a good lemon bar, but have never attempted to make any sort of a citrus bar before. Now that I have, this recipe will definitely become a part of my repertoire! They were so easy to make and so delectable! The shortbread crust is crisp and buttery, and the oozy key lime curd topping is tangy and fresh tasting. If you are more of a lemon-lover you could just use lemon juice and zest in place of the limey options.

This recipe will yield about 90 – 1~1/2 inch cubes of sweet and tangy goodness. You can always halve the recipe to make fewer desserts. I modified a recipe I found on a blog called Baked Perfection. I doubled the recipe, reduced the amount of sugar and added a couple of ingredients to bump up the flavor. 

I believe that if one is going to splurge on a dessert, it should be as flavorful and delicious as possible. I added some salt to the shortbread crust. Salt added to shortbread {and most any dessert} enhances the flavors of all of the good ingredients, just as it does in a savory recipe. I also added lime zest to the Key Lime filling. If I were to be a true purest, I would have shredded the zest off a trillion little key limes, but instead I zested just one regular lime. The verdant zest added color and a fresh flavor to the dessert. 

By the way, I have hereby found the greatest tool for zesting citrus. To learn about it click on Lime.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups flour (used at 2 different stages of the recipe)
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder (used at 2 different stages of the recipe)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cup salted butter, softened
10 large eggs
3~1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup Key Lime Juice (I used Nellie and Joe’s bottled juice)
zest of 1 large lime (or 2 tablespoons of zest from Key Limes)

Procedure

Preheat over to 350 degrees
 Grease 18 x 13 baking pan

In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, powered sugar, salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Cut in butter with 2 knives until the mix is crumb-like. Press dough into baking dish. Lie a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough to do a final surface smoothing using your fingers and heels of your hands. Use a spatula to push down any bumpy edges.

 

Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until slightly browned.

In a second bowl, combine eggs, granulated sugar, lime juice, 1/4 cup of flour, the zest and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Pour mixture over hot crust and bake 22 – 25 minutes until lightly browned.

 When completely cooled cut into bars or bites.

If desired, just before serving, dust with powdered sugar. To dust evenly, spoon powdered sugar into a sifter, tap the side of the sifter with a spoon as you move the sifter over the dessert and allow the sugar to drift down over the tangy morsels.

Congratulations to all of the graduates out there!!