if you’ve tried my lemon bars before, you’re going to love these vibrant LIME bars that are reminiscent of key lime pie but better!! they have a gluten-free crust made of almond flour making them gluten-free and they’re dairy-free, too.
here’s what you’ll need to bake them up:
• sugar
• lime zest
• fresh squeezed lime juice
• eggs
• all-purpose flour
• salted butter (or vegan butter)
• artificial dye-free green food coloring (optional, to get a bright green color_
• fine blanched almond flour
• melted coconut oil (or sub melted vegan butter or regular butter)
• pure maple syrup
• vanilla extract
• salt
for serving:
powdered sugar, for dusting and additional lime zest
ambitiouskitchen.com/lime-bars
Directions:
Mix the filling. Start by using clean fingers to rub together the lime zest and the sugar in a medium pot to infuse the sugar with lime flavor. Whisk the lime-sugar mixture in the pot with lime juice, eggs, and flour until there are no more streaks of egg, then set it aside.
Bake the crust. Mix all of the crust ingredients in a medium bowl until a thick crumb texture forms. Press it into an 8×8 inch pan lined with parchment paper, and bake until slightly golden brown on the edges.
Cook the filling. While the crust is cooking, place the pot with the filling over medium-low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove it from the heat, then pour the filling through a sieve over a medium bowl and mash it through the strainer with a spoon.
Bake the bars. Stir the butter into the warm filling until melted, and add your food coloring (if using). Pour the mixture over the warm crust and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake bars until the filling is set and barely jiggly.
Cool (then cool again). Let the bars cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Top & serve. Dust the bars with powdered sugar and sprinkle extra lime zest if you’d like, then slice using a clean, sharp, wet knife and serve!
