Lime Bars with Tangy Shortbread Crust Recipe

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Lime Bars

If you adore lemon bars, these lime bars will feel like a familiar friend with a bright, tropical accent. The idea behind them is simple: take everything you love about classic lemon bars and swap the lemons for limes. The result is creamy, tart, and tangy, with just enough sweetness to keep you reaching for one more square.

The base is a buttery shortbread crust. It is deliberately simple and sturdy, the kind of crust that supports a soft custard without turning soggy. On top sits the lime filling, which bakes into a smooth, sliceable custard that is rich from eggs and lively from fresh juice and zest.

A dusting of powdered sugar finishes each bar. That snowy little layer is the icing on the cake for me, a small flourish that makes a simple pan of bars look like something from a bakery case.

One thing worth knowing up front: the filling will not turn green on its own. The green color comes from optional food coloring, a drop of green plus a drop of yellow to match the shade of fresh limes.

If you leave it out, the bars will look more yellow, much like lemon bars, and they will taste just as wonderful. I have baked them both ways and enjoy the natural golden look every bit as much as the tinted version.

Texture is where these bars shine. The crust stays crisp and sandy at the edges, the custard stays creamy through the middle, and a cold slice straight from the refrigerator tastes clean and refreshing. That is exactly why I like to serve them in summer, when a heavy frosted cake feels like too much.

They are also wonderfully portable. I bring them to potlucks, picnics, and family cookouts, and they travel well in a chilled cooler. At home, they pair beautifully with iced tea, cold brew coffee, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to turn a simple bar into a full dessert.

A single batch makes 12 bars in an 11 by 7 inch pan, which is a comfortable amount for a small household. If you are cooking for a crowd, bake two batches side by side and keep one chilled while the first disappears.

This recipe is a variation of my classic lemon bars and my Ruby Red Grapefruit Bars, so if you enjoy citrus desserts, you are in very good company.

Baking Tips:

Over the years I have picked up a few habits that make these bars reliable every single time. None of them are complicated, and each one saves you a headache later.

• Line the pan with parchment. Leave a 2 inch overhang on both sides. That little collar lets you lift the whole slab of bars out of the pan in one piece, which makes cutting clean squares and trimming the edges so much easier.
• Make the filling while the crust bakes. The crust needs 18 to 20 minutes in the oven, and that is the perfect window to whisk together the filling. Pouring it over the hot crust helps the custard bake evenly, so you get a smooth top instead of a patchy one.
• Use a microplane zester. A microplane gives you a very fine zest. It disappears into the custard, so nobody bites into a stringy piece of peel, yet it still delivers maximum lime flavor. Zest only the green part, because the white pith underneath turns bitter.
• Color is optional. A drop of green and yellow food coloring is what gives these bars their lime green look. Skip it and you will get a golden, lemon bar style color. The flavor does not change either way.

Pour the filling over the hot crust, not a cooled one. That warmth is what helps the custard set evenly from edge to center.

One more gentle note: fresh lime juice really does make a difference here. Bottled juice works in a pinch, but the fresh stuff tastes livelier and brighter. Roll your limes firmly on the counter before juicing and you will get more juice from each one.

I also like to be able to lift the bars out of the pan without wrestling with them. Parchment does that job beautifully, and it means the first square you cut looks as neat as the last. This recipe was originally published on 3/3/13, and it has been a favorite in my kitchen ever since.

Ingredients

You need a short list of everyday ingredients. I have included weights for anyone who likes to bake with a scale, because measuring flour by weight is the easiest way to keep both the crust and the custard consistent from batch to batch.

For the crust:

• 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour, stirred, spooned, and leveled
• ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup (113 g) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces

For the filling:

• 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (31 g) all purpose flour, stirred, spooned, and leveled
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp lime zest
• ⅔ cup (159 ml) fresh lime juice
• Optional: a drop of green food coloring, plus a drop of yellow, to tint the filling

A quick word on the flour. When a recipe says stir, spoon, and level, it means fluff the flour in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, then sweep the top flat with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, and that extra flour can make the crust dry and crumbly.

The butter should be genuinely cold. Cold butter cut into pieces pulses into the dry ingredients and creates that fine crumb texture that presses so neatly into the pan. If your kitchen is warm, pop the butter back in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you gather everything else.

Instructions

Before you start, gather your equipment: a food processor, a citrus juicer or reamer, a microplane zester, parchment paper, and an 11 by 7 inch baking dish.

1. Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Very lightly grease an 11 by 7 inch baking dish, or line it with parchment paper that overhangs 2 inches on both sides.
2. Make the crust. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and cold butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Spread the crumbs evenly in the prepared pan, then press them down firmly. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
3. Make the filling. While the crust bakes, whisk the sugar and flour together in a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the lime zest, the fresh lime juice, and the optional drop of green and yellow food coloring. Mix until everything is smooth and combined.
4. Bake the bars. Pour the filling over the hot crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake for an additional 18 to 20 minutes, until the filling is set. When it is done, it will no longer jiggle in the center.
5. Cool and chill. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. Then refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours and serve cold.
6. Slice and serve. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper for easy cutting and serving. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

A couple of small things that help along the way. If your food processor is on the smaller side, pulse the crust ingredients in two batches so everything combines evenly. When you press the crust into the pan, use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to get an even layer without leaving fingerprints across the surface.

The bars will look a little soft when they come out of the oven, and that is completely normal. The chill time in the refrigerator is what firms them into neat, sliceable squares. Cutting them while they are still warm will give you tasty crumbs rather than tidy bars, so try to be patient with the cooling and chilling steps.

Serve them cold, straight from the refrigerator, for the cleanest flavor. If you are taking them to a gathering, keep them chilled until you are ready to set them out, and add the powdered sugar dusting just before serving so it stays crisp and white.

Recipe details

Here is the full picture so you can plan your baking session around the cooling and chilling time.

Source nutrition per serving, based on 1 bar:

Because these bars are served cold, they keep best in the refrigerator. Cover the pan or transfer the cut bars to an airtight container, and let them stay chilled until you are ready to enjoy one.

A cold lime bar with a firm shortbread base and a creamy custard top is one of the simplest pleasures in my kitchen, and I hope it becomes one in yours too.

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Lime Bars

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• Total Time: 170 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour, stir, spoon & level
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, cold, cut into 8 pieces

Filling
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour, stir, spoon & level
4 large eggs
2 tsp lime zest
⅔ cup fresh lime juice
green (+ yellow) food coloring

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Instructions

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Very lightly grease or line an 11×7-inch baking dish with parchment paper that overhangs 2-inches on both sides.
2-To make the crust: To make the crust: Combine the flour, powdered sugar, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Spread evenly, then press into prepared pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
3-Meanwhile make the filling: Meanwhile make the filling: Whisk together the sugar and flour in a bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the zest, lime juice, and a drop of green (+ yellow) food coloring, if desired. Mix until everything is smooth and combined.
4-Pour filling over hot crust and return: Pour filling over hot crust and return to oven to bake for an additional 18 to 20 minutes or until set. When done, the filling will no longer jiggle.
5-Let cool completely in the pan, about: Let cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. Then refrigerate for 1-2 hours and serve cold. Lift bars out of pan with parchment paper for easy cutting and serving. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 232kcal
• Sugar: 23g
• Sodium: 134mg
• Fat: 9g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Carbohydrates: 34g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 82mg