These Key Lime Pie Bars were such a hit at Carroll Cafe that I feel like they deserve to be re-posted.  These bars are perfect for a crowd, and such a big hit!  They’re super tart, sweet, and a little crunchy from the graham cracker crust.  The only thing I might do differently is to serve them with a little whipped cream to balance out the tart lime flavor.  But even without that, these were the first dessert to sell-out and I had people coming back for seconds on these!

Key Lime Pie Bars

Serves 16

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line a 9″x13″  pan with aluminum foil with enough hanging over to use to lift the bars out when done.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.

In the food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they’re fine crumbs.  Add brown sugar and salt, pulse again, then drizzle butter in and pulse until well mixed.  Dump the mixture into your pan and press crumbs evenly to form crust.  Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack while you make the topping.

In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, zest, and salt until well combined.  Add the sweetened condensed milk and whisk together until well-combined removing all cream cheese clumps.  Whisk in the egg yolks, then whisk in the key lime juice until well blended.

Pour the mixture on top of the crust, spreading into the corners and smoothing the top.  Bake until the center is set and the edges start to pull away from the foil, about 20 minutes.  Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for 1 1/2 to 2 hours then cover pan with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve, lift the bars out of the foil using the aluminum foil lining, and cut into squares.  Store bars in the refrigerator.