key lime

Coconut Lime Bars

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At my house, it’s definitely not close to being spring.  I absolutely love the intermountain west, but this has been a LOOOONG winter.  There is NO sign of green grass here.  Seriously, we are still completely covered in snow!!!  I start to crave warmer days and “summer food”.  So until the snow is gone, these Coconut Lime bars are helping fill my need for warmth. Travel through food when necessary, I say!   You can eat these bars as soon as they are done, but I highly recommend letting them chill several hours before devouring!  ~Kathy

Ingredients for Bars:

  • 1 stick butter, softened (8 oz)
  • 1 1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. lime zest
  • 2 1/8 c. flour
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. coconut toasted
  • 3 oz. white baking chocolate, finely chopped

Ingredients for Frosting:

  • 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
  • ¾ c. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp. lime zest
  • 4 oz. white baking chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • ½ c. toasted coconut

Preheat oven to 350°.   Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.  

Start by making sure butter is extremely soft, just shy of melting.  Mix together softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and lime zest.  

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt.   Add to butter mixture and mix, just until combined.  Gently fold in coconut and white chocolate.

Spread the batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 19-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add in powdered sugar and lime juice.  Mix in zest and cooled melted white chocolate, combine well.   Spread over cooled bars and top with toasted coconut.   Chill 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Key Lime Cheesecake

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Posted by Tracy

One of my favorite cheesecakes at The Cheesecake Factory is the Key Lime.  I couldn’t find a recipe that created that same sweet & tart flavor, so I created my own with a creamy, rich texture you don’t have to drive miles for…that just may surpass the original. You be the judge.

KeyLimeCheesecake_logo

Crust Ingredients: 

2 packages graham crackers, crushed (about 16 whole crackers)

3 T. sugar

½ c. + 2 T. melted butter

Filling Ingredients: 

1 c. sugar

1 T. corn starch

3 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened

4 eggs (best if allowed to come to room temperature)

2/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. freshly squeezed key lime juice

1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract

Crust Instructions:

Combine crushed graham crackers with melted butter and mix well.  This works well in a mixing bowl or large Ziploc type bag.  Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” spring form pan.  Bake at 350 in preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 (note, a different temperature than crust).

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and corn starch.  Set aside.

Place softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the sugar mixture and blend until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is just combined.  Add sour cream and heavy cream, mixing again until combined.  Stir in lime juice and vanilla.

Pour over cooled graham cracker crust.

Place large pan, such as a 9 x 13 cake pan, on the lowest oven rack.  Fill the pan about two-thirds full with water and leave the pan of water in the oven.  This provides moisture as the cheesecake cooks and avoids the sometimes messy water bath suggested by some cheesecake recipes.

Place the cheesecake on the middle oven rack and bake at 325 for approximately 60 minutes.  Cheesecake should still have a slight ‘jiggle’ to the center when removed from oven.

Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar.  Allow cheesecake to cool slowly while still in the oven.  After cheesecake is cool, remove from oven and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Serve with whipped cream and your favorite fruit garnish.

Makes approximately 12 servings.