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Lime Bars with a Macadamia Nut Crust

March 14th, 2011

Lime Bars with a Macadamia Nut Crust

A few months ago, I made some really fantastic lemon bars. So when I recently threw a baby shower, I was planning to make them for the party. But when the theme of the shower turned out to be green and pink, I took the bars in a slightly different direction- lime. And to change the crust up, I added macadamia nuts. When sprinkled with a layer of delicate powdered sugar and topped with a luscious raspberry- the lime, macadamia nuts and raspberry were not only a perfect color combination, but the flavors were amazing too.

These lime bars are also the perfect kick off to green week in honor of St. Patricks Day! I hope you enjoy them!

Crust:
2 cups AP flour
1 ½ cups macadamia nuts
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
½ tsp salt

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ cup fresh lime juice, (3 large limes)
green food coloring if desired

powdered sugar and raspberries to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13” pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a food processor, (or in a large mixing bowl, with a pastry cutter) combine the flour, nuts, powdered sugar, butter and salt.

I like to push this past the point of a pie crust, which I would just barely want to come together- this has to have some sturdiness to it, so I will mix it until it has really come together, (see picture).

Pour the crust into the pan, and using a spatula, press the dough into a really firm crust on the bottom of the pan. Poke a few holes with a fork or knife to release steam while par-baking the crust.

Bake crust 15 minutes at 350 degrees. It will be barely golden. When you take it out, press the crust down with a spatula to release any steam bubbles that have formed, and to make a more compact crust.

While the crust is baking, make the filling. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy.

Add the sugar, whisking constantly so that the yolks are not “cooked” by the sugar.
When the eggs and sugar are well combined, add the flour to the filling and mix well.

Finally add the lime juice and whisk to combine.

If you want your filling green, use just a few drops of food coloring- it will bake up darker (as in my case!)

Pour the filling over the hot crust when it comes out of the oven.

Return to the oven to cook for another 15 minutes. The lemon should just be set, and the top should have a tiny bit of golden color to it.

Let the lime bars cool completely before sprinkling them with powdered sugar, (a shaker or sifter works best), and cutting into bars. Garnish each bar with a fresh raspberry.

Enjoy!