Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, but no TWD – I’m Out of Town. Again!

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!

Low Fat Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from a recipe by America’s Test Kitchen, via Mac & Cheese, and Judy’s Kitchen

Non-stick cooking spray

Crust

5 oz. animal crackers

3 Tbsp. (packed) brown sugar – light or dark is fine

pinch of sea salt

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling

4 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened (this MUST be soft, so leave it out on the counter over night)

1 Tbsp. minced zest from key limes (or regular limes – I didn’t have the patience to zest all those tiny little things.)

Big pinch salt

1 can (14.5 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 large egg yolk

½ cup juice from key limes

Topping

½ cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar (10X)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F. Position oven rack in center of oven. Line an 8×8 baking pan with tinfoil, with overhanging ends – basically, make a sling. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Pulse animal crackers in a food processor until finely crumbled. Add sugar, salt and butter and pulse until combined. Press crumbs firmly into bottom of baking pan. Bake until golden, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Wipe out work bowl of food processor. Combine 4 oz. low fat cream cheese, zest, and salt in work bowl and pulse till smooth and fluffy. Scrape bowl on sides and bottom. Add condensed milk and pulse till lumps are gone. Scrape bowl on sides and bottom. Add egg yolk; pulse briefly. Add lime juice; pulse till mixture is smooth. Scrape bowl on sides and bottom to be sure no lumps remain. Pulse again if needed. Pour mixture into cooled crust. Bake 15-20 minutes, or till edges are set. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, covered, overnight to blend flavors.

Before serving, beat cream with powdered sugar on medium speed of electric mixer in medium-sized bowl till thick. Add vanilla and continue to beat on high speed till very thick. Spread over bars with spatula. Cut and serve.

Refrigerate or freeze leftovers, but make sure that they are tightly wrapped. Yield: 9 servings