A Key Lime Pie Walked into a Bar :)

I think my title of this post explains it all - I took my favorite key lime pie recipe and turned it into bars! When I carried these out to the table on mother's day, I said 'A key lime walked into a bar and now we have dessert.' I thought I was just being goofy and punny, but everyone at the table got a good kick out of my not so funny joke! And so, a post was born!

You can find my original key lime recipe HERE - everything stays the same, except the ingredients go into a 8x12'' dish instead of a pie plate.

Start by mixing 1 1/4 cups of graham crackers crumbs, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of melted butter in a small mixing bowl. Once the crust is combined press it into the bottom of a 8x12 inch baking dish. Set the crust aside while you mix up the filling...

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 28 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (2 - 14oz cans), 1/2 cup of sour cream and 3/4 cup of key lime juice. I use Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice.

Once the filling is combined, pour it over the graham cracker crust and smooth it out using a spoon.  Bake the pie in a pre-heated oven at 350° F for 10 minutes. Then, turn the oven off, leave the door shut and let the pie sit in the warm oven for 30 minutes.

Once the bars have completed it's bake time, let it cool completely. I usually let them cool overnight. When the bars have cooled cut them into squares, I cut them into 15 bars (3 by 5).

Whip some cream and load it into a piping bag prepared with star tip. Pipe a little swirl of whipped cream on the top of each bar.

Top the whipped cream with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs and a little but of lime zest. Refrigerate the bars until you are ready to serve them!

KEY LIME PIE BARS
yield: 15 bars

ingredients
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 - 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice

**whipped cream, lime zest & additional graham cracker crumbs to garnish.

directions
1. In a small mixing bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter together. Once well combined, press the mixture into the bottom of a 12x8" pie dish. Set the dish aside.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and key lime juice. Pour the mixture over the pressed graham cracker crust.
3. Smooth out the filling with a spoon.
4. Bake the bars for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, after ten minutes turn the oven off and let the bars sit in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting into 15 bars (5 by 3). Once the bars are cut top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs and lime zest.

Enjoy!