Coconut-Key Lime Squares

Name: Coconut-Key Lime Squares
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more, softened, for pan; 0.75 cup all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar; Rounded 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt; 0.5 cup finely shredded desiccated unsweetened coconut; 3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (about ½ cup); 3 large eggs, room temperature; 0.667 cup granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 0.667 cup fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice; 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, for dusting

3.8

(62)

4 Reviews

By

Martha Stewart Editors

Updated on October 29, 2019

Prep Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs 30 mins

Yield:

64 bars

It's a new twist on the classic lemon bar: A light, extra-tart Key lime filling on a shortbread crust laced with coconut and white chocolate.

Ingredients

Crust

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more, softened, for pan
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
½ cup finely shredded desiccated unsweetened coconut
3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (about ½ cup)

Filling

3 large eggs, room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⅔ cup fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom and 2 sides of pan with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang; lightly butter the parchment.
Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor, and pulse a few times to combine. Add butter, and pulse until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add coconut and white chocolate, and pulse a few more times, just until mixture holds together. Transfer mixture to pan, and pack down firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until crust is deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and reduce heat to 300 degrees.
Filling: Whisk together eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl, then whisk in flour. Gently stir in lime juice (do not whisk or stir vigorously or batter will become foamy).
Pour filling over hot crust, and bake until filling is set, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Run the tip of a knife along the 2 sides of the pan not lined with parchment, then remove from pan by lifting with parchment overhang. Transfer to a cutting board, dust with confectioners' sugar, and cut into 1-inch squares.

Chris Court

Cook's Notes

Key limes, so called because they were once cultivated in the Florida Keys, are also known as West Indian, Mexican, or bartender's limes. You'll need anywhere from one-half to two-thirds of a pound, depending on how fresh and juicy they are. If you can't find Key limes, regular limes also make delicious cookies.