Raspberry Lime Bars

Instructions

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1. 1 Grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with butter or nonstick baking spray. Line the bottom and two sides of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang.
2. 2 Zest 4 of the limes with a fine grater, reserving 1 teaspoon for the crust and 1 tablespoon for the filling. Juice the limes to yield 2/3 cup and reserve for the filling. I like to use a citrus reamer to get as much juice from each lime as possible. I don’t notice the pulp in the baked bars, but you can strain the juice through a fine-mesh sieve if you prefer.
3. 3 To a medium mixing bowl, add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of the zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. With the tips of your fingers, rub the lime zest into the sugar, infusing the sugar and dispersing the zest to avoid clumps of zest in the finished bars. Add 1 cup flour and whisk to combine. Add the diced butter and use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour, squishing and flaking the butter into pea-size pieces. It should look like the dough for a crumble or streusel. Press the dough in an even layer into the prepared pan. Bake the crust until lightly browned around the edges, about 25 minutes.
4. 4 While the crust is baking, make the filling. To a large mixing bowl, add 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. With the tips of your fingers, rub the lime zest into the sugar. Add 1/4 cup flour and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk until fully combined and smooth. Pour in the lime juice, whisking to combine. Finally, stir in the raspberry jam. Let the filling sit while the crust finishes baking.
5. 5 When the crust is done baking, remove it to a wire rack. Stir the raspberry lime filling a few times, as it may have settled, then pour it over the hot crust. Bake until set—the top of the bars may have browned in spots and the filling will not jiggle when the pan is gently shaken—about 30 minutes.
6. 6 Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
7. 7 Run a butter knife along the two edges without parchment paper to loosen the bars from the pan. Use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the bars into squares. Coat the tops with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Garnish each bar with a raspberry and a sprinkle of finely grated lime zest. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. To stack them, add a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!