Lime squares with a twist...

While chocolate, and of course, peanut butter, rule my baked goods world, second to those two would be making treats with citrus. Lemons, oranges, limes or what-have-you - I'm a sucker for them. With that in mind, our next foray into the Wednesday Treat Day for Jeff's co-workers this new year were these cool, clean and refreshing Lime Squares with Pistachio Graham-Cracker Crust.

To get the crumbs needed for the graham cracker crust, we used about 4 ounces or 114 grams - I'm not sure how many rectangles that was, but you should be able to use the nutritional information on the package if you'd wish to just count out the rectangles and go. Graham crackers by themselves make a delightful crust, but to up the ante, a scoop of nutty pistachios joins the wheat-y cracker crumbs in the food processor to beat them down until they are finely ground. Make sure you do the crumbs and pistachios together - if you try to do the nuts by themselves, you may end up with pistachio paste, which would be quite tasty, but not what you are after - you are looking for tiny nuggets.

As if pistachios weren't enough, few spoonfuls of granulated sugar, fresh grated lime zest and a pinch of salt were also added into the food processor when you ground the nuts and crackers together. To bind those snazzy ingredients together, melted butter is blended in - the mixture shouldn't start to look clumpy as you are adding just enough moisture and fat to allow the crumbs and nuts to keep each other cozy. Patted into the pan to cover the bottom and a notch up the sides, the crust needs to bake naked to set, then allowed to cool completely while you work on the filling.

The filling is ridiculously simple - egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and fresh (yes, squeeze your own limes please!) lime juice. That's it! I do want to caution you to use the right milk - you need condensed milk, not evaporated. Sweetened condensed is milk that has had some of its water (about 60% or so) removed, with plenty of sugar added back in. Evaporated has the same water evaporated, but no sugar is added and it is a bit more processed.

With the filling poured in and smoothed over, the pan goes back into the oven just long enough to set the lime topping and is then cooled completely at room temperature before being chilled for at least an hour before you dig in. If you've prepared the pan as we directed, cutting these into tidy squares won't be an issue. You've essentially created a sling using parchment paper and since the square has been chilled, it is solid enough to easily lift the whole slab out. For crisp edges, wipe your knife blade in between cuts.

If you could imagine a creamy key lime pie and your favorite tart lemon bar got a little funky together, I think this is what you'd be left with. The filling was a slick contrast to the robust, crisp and thick crust it sits upon - we found it silky smooth and sweet, with each bite finishing with a welcomed tart 'tude. I did find it slightly egg-y, but not obnoxiously so - I may just be sensitive to that though as Jeff did not notice it.

Recipes
Lime Squares with Pistachio Graham-Cracker Crust