These are the easiest, creamiest slices of Key Lime Pie that you’ll ever find. Made with fresh key limes and a crispy vanilla wafer crust, you’ll be making these all day everyday.
Key Lime Pie Bars
Have you ever wondered what summer in a dessert tastes like??? Well you just got your answer because I’m telling y’all… these Key Lime Pie Bars are to. die. for. They couldn’t be more perfect for spring, summer, and (let’s be honest lol) even fall and winter. They’re that good you’ll be wanting to eat these all year long!
We have a tradition of going over to Noah’s parents house on Tuesday nights for “Taco Tuesday” and “Desserts on the Deck.” So basically every Tuesday night we go crazy with tacos and desserts. It started because we like to go over at least once a week for dinner, and I’m always testing new recipes over the weekend, so I just bring whatever dessert I have on hand that day.
All that to say… I brought these over one Tuesday night and everyone FLIPPED. I think it might be everyones new favorite dessert (including mine)! And to be completely honest… key lime pie has never been my go-to dessert.. until now.
What are Key Lime Pie Bars?
I think we’re all familiar with good old-fashioned key lime pie. But in a bar form?!?! Who is she!?!? Let’s just say I’m a little bit obsessed. Ok I’m a lot a bit obsessed.
What makes these bars so special is the crust and the filling. We’re using toasted coconut and pecans in addition to vanilla wafers and brown sugar. You’d be amazed how big of a difference simply toasting the coconut and pecans will do, it really brings out the flavor of both so well. The filling is also made with sweetened condensed milk which means that it is perfectly creamy and sweet, and it removes the process of making a custard beforehand (hello, easiest thing in the world)!
We top off the bars with one of my favorite store-bought ingredients ever… Cool-Whip. Feel free to make your own whipped cream, but I just love the way cool-whip tastes with these bars!
Ingredients for Key Lime Pie Bars
Here’s what you’ll need for these delicious bars:
- Sweetened Flaked Coconut: make sure you toast this in the over at 350°F for about 7 to 10 minutes or until they start to brown on the edges. I promise you don’t want to skip this step!
- Pecans: you’ll also want to be sure you toast these as well at 350°F for about 7 to 20 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant.
- Brown Sugar: for flavor 🙂
- Crushed Vanilla Wafers: just pop whole vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until crumbled. So easy and they make such a difference! If all you have is graham crackers on hand, feel free to use those in place of vanilla wafers.
- Butter: Make sure you use all 7 Tbsp butter. The last thing you want is to slice into your bars and have the crust crumble all over the place.
- Cream Cheese: The special ingredient that makes allll the difference here. So creamy and delicious, making these bars taste just right.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: like I said above, using sweetened condensed milk allows you to skip the process of making a homemade custard (and honestly, I think the flavor turns out better).
- Eggs: for emulsifying the juice, cheese, and condensed milk together.
- Fresh Key Lime Juice: now, I know that key limes can be hard to find sometimes, but I know that Whole Foods carries them in their produce department and they really are worth the time and effort to hand-juice. It only takes about 15 minutes to juice them all, and you’ll be so glad you did! If you can’t find any fresh key limes, feel free to use fresh key lime juice such as Nellie & Joes lime juice.
- Cool-Whip: Let’s be honest, this is just heaven in a tub!
How to Make Key Lime Pie Bars
These bars are so delicious, and I promise you’ll be shocked at just how easy they are!
- Make the Crust: First, we’re going to combine the toasted coconut, pecans, and brown sugar in a food processor. Pulse them all until they’re well combined and at a very fine texture. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the crushed vanilla wafers. We want to be sure everything is evenly distributed before we add the butter, so be sure you give it a good whisk. Add the butter, stir, and spread in a 9-inch pan. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes.
- Make the Filling: The filling couldn’t be easier. Just beat the cream cheese in a bowl for about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the sweetened condensed milk, eggs, egg yolks, and lime juice, and beat until it’s all well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for about 15 minutes or until set (you’re looking for a slight wobble in the center of the pan).
- Cool: You’ll want to let everything cool before you add the cool-whip, so let the pan cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, then chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours. Then we can add the cool-whip and garnish with lime zest.
- Slice and Serve: Use the parchment paper to release the bars from the pan. This just makes everything easier to slice so you don’t have to “sacrifice” a bar to get the rest out of the pan 🙂 I like to serve mine straight from the fridge, but you can also serve them frozen if you’d like.
I hope you all love this recipe as much as I do, happy baking!
XO,
Sarah
Key Lime Pie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut toasted
- 1/4 cup pecans toasted
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers
- 7 Tbsp butter melted
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup fresh key lime juice
- 1 (8-oz) carton frozen whipped topping thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch pan with parchment paper, allowing paper to extend over sides.
- Combine coconut, nuts, and brown sugar in a large food processor. Pulse until mixture is fine.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in vanilla wafers. Stir in melted butter; press into bottom of prepared pan; bake 10 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl on high speed using a hand-held mixer until smooth; beat in condensed milk, eggs, egg yolks, and lime juice until smooth; pour into crust.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until center is set. Let cool 1 hour.
- Cover and refrigeratre at least 4 hours or up to 4 days. Spread with whipped topping and garnish with lime zest, if desired.
