I saw the folks on America’s Test Kitchen make these, and what intrigued me was the graham cracker-less crust. This recipe uses animal crackers!  I love graham cracker crusts, but I think that the spice often clashes with the filling, and Master Chow really dislikes that they get soggy.  I also had a bunch of key lime juice that I’d frozen, and wanted to use up.

Verdict:  people LOVED these, especially large, muscular males.  Master Chow, a member of the aforementioned group, was particularly fond of the crust which remained crispy.  These bars also froze very well, just make sure to double wrap them.

In the future, I think I’ll experiment a bit more and throw some crystallized ginger in the crust, or maybe add a layer of white chocolate just to shake things up a bit.  And to give credit where credit is due, I found the recipe on line via Judy’s Kitchen, a baker who seems to make a lot of cheesecake, so I’ll be visiting her more often!  And she happened to find it over at Mac & Cheese.

My adaptations:  low fat cream cheese, and no coconut.  Recipe after the jump.  Finally, the beauty of the recipe is that you can make the whole thing in your food processor!
continue reading "Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, but no TWD – I’m Out of Town. Again!"

Looking for something to make with the abundance of limes that flood the markets in the winter months? Look no further – here is a recipe for lime cookies, courtesy of Carole Walter, that actually taste like lime! Imagine that!

I am a big fan of citrus, so when I was looking for something to bake with all my limes, and happened across this recipe from Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets, I decided to give it a try. Carole Walter builds the lime flavor via three sources: lime juice, lime zest, and lime oil. Needless to say, these refrigerator cookies have a lime taste that actually comes through. And they are so easy to make: roll them into a log, slice, and bake. This is great if, like me, cookies are not your most favorite thing to bake, but you sure like to eat them.

I adapted the cookies slightly by using ground almonds instead of pistachios. The cookies are crisp along the outside, and tender and slightly chewy towards the middle, with a pronounced but not overwhelming lime flavor.

I seem to be trying a lot of Ina Garten’s recipes lately. Probably because they are usually quite good, always seem to work, and adapt well to my constant tweaking!

I tried this recipe without changing a thing, a rare and noteworthy event. I still ended up adapting it a bit!

Ina Garten’s Frozen Key Lime Pie

adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature (if you have only large eggs, just use an extra yolk)
1/4 cup sugar 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 regular limes, about 20 key limes)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Crust: combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Filling: beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

Freeze for several hours or overnight (it really needs at least 8 hours in the freezer).

Thoughts: this is a good recipe – lots of flavor, and great texture. Very refreshing on a hot summer day. That being said, the next time I make this, I will NOT use the lime zest if I use key limes – it’s just way too much lime (and I’m a citrus lover). If you use regular limes, I would recommend that you include the zest – regular limes are not as tart or intense as key limes.