Sunday, August 30, 2009

Flavor of the Month. . . .Move over Lemon Squares

....There's a New Bar in Town!

Flavor-of-the-Month: Lemon-Lime Edition

If you love lemon squares, you'll flip over these Key Lime Bars! Tangy and sweet with a coconut crust....I could honestly eat the entire 9 x 13" pan in just one sitting.

The recipe comes from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.

Key Lime Bars
(tweaked from the King Arthur Cookie Companion)

2/3 c brown sugar
1 & 3/4 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
3 c sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick)
-------------------
cream cheese (8 ounces)
1 & 3/4 c sugar
pinch coarse salt
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 c fresh squeezed key lime juice

Preheat oven to 300. Toast the coconut on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

Raise oven temp to 350. Lightly grease a 9 x 13" pan.

Combine the brown sugar through unsalted butter. Mix until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture; press remaining crust into the prepared pan. Bake 16-18 minutes; until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Beat the cream cheese until soft. Add the sugar and salt and mix until well blended. Stir in the flour and then beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lime juice (room temperature makes for easy squeezing) and a drop of green food coloring (optional); mix until smooth. Pour onto crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the 1 cup reserved crumbs. Bake 10 minutes more until set on the sides and still slightly wobbly in the center. Remove from oven and let cool 1 hour. Move to refrigerator and chill.

Cut using a handy-dandy bench scraper, pressing straight down to cut all the way through the crust.


Flavor of the Month theme for September
....a tribute to John Hughes. I was a teenager in the 80's. No one captured that era better that John Hughes. I think I watched 16 Candles at least 50 times during high school. Did you hear that John Hughes died in August? I think we need to honor his genius with a baking tribute.

Here are just some of the movies he wrote...
  • 16 Candles {oh, Jake Ryan!}
  • Pretty in Pink {James Spader, evil, but gorgeous!}
  • The Breakfast Club
  • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
  • Mr. Mom {LOVE Michael Keaton watching Young & the Restless}
  • Vacation
  • Weird Science
  • and more! Go here for more inspiration...
I'm thinking Pretty in Pink Cupcakes, or my sister's suggestion...a Breakfast Club Sandwich. :) If you haven't seen any of these movies, click on over to your Netflix and add them to your list!

Alright...I can't wait to see your lemon-lime creations! Link away! And thanks for participating! (Linky will close early on September 1st to avoid spammers.)