St Patricks Key Lime Bars (Printable)

Bright green lime bars with a buttery crust and tangy filling, perfect for festive celebrations and cool desserts.

# What You'll Need:

→ Crust

01 - 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
02 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
03 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
04 - Pinch of salt

→ Filling

05 - 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
06 - ½ cup fresh key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
07 - 1 tablespoon key lime zest (or regular lime zest)
08 - 4 large egg yolks
09 - Green food coloring (optional)

→ Topping

10 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream
11 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
12 - Key lime slices or zest for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and salt. Mix until the texture resembles wet sand.
03 - Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool slightly.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, and egg yolks until smooth. Add food coloring if using.
05 - Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Smooth the top with a spatula.
06 - Bake for 15 minutes, or until the center is set but still slightly jiggly.
07 - Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until fully chilled and set.
08 - Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Spread or pipe over the chilled bars.
09 - Garnish with key lime slices or extra zest. Slice into 16 bars and serve chilled.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sweet-tangy filling hits that perfect balance between refreshing and indulgent
  • They're unexpectedly easy to make but look like you spent hours on them
02 -
  • Overbaking the filling makes it grainy so pull them out when they still have a slight jiggle
  • Room temperature eggs prevent the filling from seizing up when you whisk everything together
03 -
  • Zest your limes before juicing them or you'll struggle to get any zest off squeezed fruits
  • Fresh lime juice is absolutely worth it but bottled works in a pinch

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