Best Lime Meringue Bars Recipes

LEMON-LIME BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in lime zest. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Press into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake just until edges are lightly browned, 13-15 minutes., Meanwhile, in another large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in lemon juice and zest; beat until frothy. Pour over hot crust. , Bake until light golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.

AUDREY'S LEMON MERINGUE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with parchment, letting ends extend up sides., In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until light golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack., For filling, in another large bowl, mix sugar, lemon juice, eggs, flour and zest until combined. Pour over crust. Bake until set and top is dry, 22-27 minutes., Meanwhile, for meringue, in a large bowl, beat egg whites with lemon zest and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Spread or pipe over hot filling., Bake until meringue is golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Lifting with parchment, remove from pan. Cut into bars.

LIME BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12x15-inch baking dish.
• Mix 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry cutter until crust mixture resembles crumbs. Pat crust evenly into bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Bake crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, 1/3 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup flour, white sugar, 2 teaspoons lime peel, baking powder, and food coloring in a bowl; pour over the crust.
• Return baking dish to oven; bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool thoroughly.
• Whisk 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon grated lime peel to make a smooth glaze; spread evenly over cooled lime bars. Let glaze set before serving.

LEMON MERINGUE BARS

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with foil leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Grease the foil and dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
• For the lemon bar crust: Pulse 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, butter, cornstarch and salt together in a food processor until a dough forms, about 1 minute. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden at the edges and pale golden in the center, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
• For the lemon bar filling: Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks with the remaining 1 2/3 cups sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon juice.
• Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes. Cool the bars, completely, on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for the meringue: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk together the sugar, cream of tartar, salt and egg whites in a large bowl that sits comfortable in the saucepan without touching the water. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch (135 degrees F) and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until the whites hold soft peaks. Increase the speed to high and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff, but spreadable peaks. Spread and swirl the meringue on top of the cooled lemon bars.
• Preheat the broiler to high. Set the lemon bars under the broiler until the meringue is evenly toasted and golden brown, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, brown the meringue with a hand torch.) Cut into 24 squares and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.

KEY LIME BARS

Steps:

• Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (Leave oven on.)
• Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.
• Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
• Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Put cream in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime.