These are seriously to die for! No joke. It’s, like, scary watching peoples reactions when they take a bite.
The winning combo in these is lime and animal crackers. Not graham crackers!
Start by preparing your baking dish. Line it with foil and make sure you have an inch or two hanging off the side so it’s easy to lift out once they are done. Then spray with non-stick spray. Like this…
Then you want to make the crumbs for your crust. Pulse the crackers in a food processor until they are crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put them in a bag and use a meat tenderizer to break them up. Then mix them with melted butter, salt and sugar until they are no longer dry.
Dump the mixture into your foil lined pan and, using your fingers or a spoon, press down firmly until the bottom of the pan is completely covered and packed.
Now, toss it in the oven for about 15 minutes. It will be just slightly golden in color and smell really yummy when it’s done.
Moving on to the filling…
Combine your cream cheese, zest and salt in a mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk in the condensed milk until the mixture is smooth. Once smooth, add in your egg yolk and lime juice until combined then pour the mixture on top of your crust.
Use a spatula or give the pan a little shake to get it pretty even. Bake for about 15 – 17 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the sides just barely start to pull away from the edges and the center is set. Eat….oops, we mean serve, these straight from the fridge!
- 5 oz animal crackers (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh lime zest (from about 2 limes)
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, letting two opposing edges hang over at least an inch or so. Grease the foil with cooking spray.
- Process the animal crackers, sugar and salt together to fine crumbs in a blender or food processor. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate or stir together in a bowl with a fork. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press the crumbs into an even layer. Bake the crust until fragrant and golden, about 15-18 minutes.
- While the crust bakes, in a medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, lime zest and salt together until combined. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth (you can use a handheld electric mixer, if you want). Whisk in the egg yolk and lime juice until combined.
- Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake the bars until the filling is set and the edges just slightly begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 15-17 minutes.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Then cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Garnish with toasted coconut or lime zest.
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whilehewasout
January 8, 2013 at 2:12 pmHm this sounds yummy! And easy enough too, I love the taste of lime in cakes!