Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars
These Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars are one of my family’s most favourite desserts all summer long, and winter too, if I am being honest! This dessert starts with a sweet, brown butter graham cracker crust, which is so easy to make because someone somewhere invented the beloved graham cracker crumbs! The lemon lime component of these bars is a light, tangy yet sweet filling that is perfectly balanced after many years of trialling this recipe. Finally, I opt for a homemade whipped cream with a hint of honey to round of this perfect dessert. I know you will love these lemon lime graham bars just as much as my family does!
Key lime pie can be a complicated dessert to make, and these Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars bars are my ode to the more complex dessert, because we are all for simplified baking over here! Fresh lemon and lime juice, fresh zest, rich, sweetened condensed milk and a brown butter graham crust. Heaven!
The Ingredients
For the crust
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup brown butter (salted, room temp butter, instructions below)
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling
- 10 egg yolks
- 3.5 cups sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup lime juice
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lime / lemon zest (either or both)
For the whipping cream
- 473 ml carton whipping cream (33%)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp lime / lemon zest (either or both)
Instructions
For the crust
- Start with making the crust! Grab a 9×13” baking dish, I prefer glass, and spray it with any cooking oil you like. Set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a pan, add your cup of butter and switch to medium heat. If you have never browned butter before, let this be your crash course! Browning the butter is essentially toasting the milk proteins in the butter an creating the most delicious, caramelly flavor. Keep the butter on medium heat and stir often, if not constantly. After about 4-6 minutes the butter will start to bubble, continue to stir constantly! After another minute or so the bubbles will recede and you will notice a toasty, dark brown butter below. Once you reach this color remove the butter from the heat to prevent burning.
- Pour the butter into your mixing bowl and add the graham cracker crumbs and the salt. Mix thoroughly. The consistency here should be loose crumbs that stick together and form a mold when you press them with a spoon. Sometimes the graham cracker crumbs absorb the butter differently depending on how fresh they are. If the crumb mixture seems to moist, as another tablespoon of crumbs, if it appears to dry, add a splash of melted butter.
- Transfer this crumb mixture in to your greased baking dish and stick into the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, until set.
For the filling
- While the crust is baking it is time to work on the filling. Start by jucing your limes, you will likely need10-14 key limes or 6-8 regular sized limes. You will also need 3-4 lemons, but it all depends on size. You can also replace any lime juice with lemon and vice versa if you run out of one!
- Start by washing, zesting and then squeezing all of your citrus. Set aside the juice and the zest.
- In a large mixing bowl add your egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon and lime juices all gradually with the mixer on low speed. Once you notice this is fully combined, add your zest.
- Once the crust has finished pre-baking pour the filling over top and stick right back in to the oven for about 24-28 minutes. You will know the pie is baked because if you jiggle it, the middle will be set and resist the jiggle.
- Once cooked, remove form the heat and let it cool on the counter.
For the whipping cream
- Add the whipping cream to your electric mixer with the stainless steel whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed for 4-6 minutes, until the cream starts to thicken in to a whipped cream. Add the salt and vanilla and give a final whisk. Set this aside.
Putting it all together
- Do not put the whipped cream on to the pie until it has cooled completely!! Once it has, add the hipped cream and the remaining zest on top and then let this set in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours for best results.
- Slice up and enjoy! Makes 12 large bars or 18 small ones, depending on your style!
Things to Know about Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars
This recipe really is easy to make, the hardest part is waiting for it to set! But that is also one of the most important steps, because cutting in to the bars before they have had time to fully cool and set can result in a bit of a sticky mess. I have done it before, when I was impatient, and the bars still taste the same but just aren’t suite as stunning!
These Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars are really successful if you make it the day before or the morning of serving – it keeps really well in the fridge and is a nice thing to get done ahead of time.
I would tell you what to do with the leftovers, but I am pretty confident you wont have any… Last time I made these lemon lime graham bars my family took home every last morsel!
Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars
Ingredients
For The Crust
- – 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- – 1 cup brown butter salted, room temp butter, instructions below
- – 1 tsp salt
For The Filling
- – 10 egg yolks
- – 3.5 cups sweetened condensed milk
- – 1 cup lime juice
- – 2/3 cup lemon juice
- – 2 tbsp lime / lemon zest either or both
For The Whipped Cream
- – 473 ml carton whipping cream 33%
- – 1 tbsp honey
- – 2 tbsp lime / lemon zest either or both
Instructions
For The Crust
- Start with making the crust! Grab a 9×13” baking dish, I prefer glass, and spray it with any cooking oil you like. Set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a pan, add your cup of butter and switch to medium heat. If you have never browned butter before, let this be your crash course! Browning the butter is essentially toasting the milk proteins in the butter an creating the most delicious, caramelly flavor. Keep the butter on medium heat and stir often, if not constantly. After about 4-6 minutes the butter will start to bubble, continue to stir constantly! After another minute or so the bubbles will recede and you will notice a toasty, dark brown butter below. Once you reach this color remove the butter from the heat to prevent burning.
- Pour the butter into your mixing bowl and add the graham cracker crumbs and the salt. Mix thoroughly. The consistency here should be loose crumbs that stick together and form a mold when you press them with a spoon. Sometimes the graham cracker crumbs absorb the butter differently depending on how fresh they are. If the crumb mixture seems to moist, as another tablespoon of crumbs, if it appears to dry, add a splash of melted butter.
- Transfer this crumb mixture in to your greased baking dish and stick into the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, until set.
For The Filling
- While the crust is baking it is time to work on the filling. Start by jucing your limes, you will likely need10-14 key limes or 6-8 regular sized limes. You will also need 3-4 lemons, but it all depends on size. You can also replace any lime juice with lemon and vice versa if you run out of one!
- Start by washing, zesting and then squeezing all of your citrus. Set aside the juice and the zest.
- In a large mixing bowl add your egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lemon and lime juices all gradually with the mixer on low speed. Once you notice this is fully combined, add your zest.
- Once the crust has finished pre-baking pour the filling over top and stick right back in to the oven for about 24-28 minutes. You will know the pie is baked because if you jiggle it, the middle will be set and resist the jiggle.
- Once cooked, remove form the heat and let it cool on the counter.
For The Whipped Cream
- Add the whipping cream to your electric mixer with the stainless steel whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed for 4-6 minutes, until the cream starts to thicken in to a whipped cream. Add the salt and vanilla and give a final whisk. Set this aside.
- Putting it all together
- Do not put the whipped cream on to the pie until it has cooled completely!! Once it has, add the hipped cream and the remaining zest on top and then let this set in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours for best results.
- Slice up and enjoy! Makes 12 large bars or 18 small ones, depending on your style!
I hope you love these Key Lime Graham Cracker Bars just as much as I do. If you do decide to make them, make sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations! I love seeing what you bake up at home.
