Lime Bars – Guest Post
My friend Ren of Big Eats, Small Spaces offered to do a guest post. Here’s what she writes:
I’m a citrus freak. I can’t get my hands on enough lemon, grapefruit, orange, and lime. Fall is upon us, but with a few warm days this week, I couldn’t resist one last taste of summer. More tart than traditional lemon squares, lime squares offer a pleasant alternative to the usual. I plan to serve these with sweet iced tea as a lunchtime dessert.
Lime Squares
Ingredients:
Shortbread Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
Lime Layer
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice of 3-4 limes)
2 teaspoons lime zest
powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease the bottom and sides of a 2L (9x9 or 8x11) glass baking dish, making sure to grease 3/4 of the way up the sides.
For the shortbread, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy, using an electric mixer. Add the flour and salt, and incorporate using a pastry cutter. Do not over-mix, the mixture will be crumbly.
Pour the crumbs into the prepared dish, and press into an even crust. Bake 20-25 minutes, until edges are golden. Set aside to cool.
For the lime layer, whisk together the eggs and sugar until yellow. Add the lime juice and zest, then pour over the cooled crust. Return the dish to the oven, and bake another 20 minutes until set.
Cool, and then refrigerate until firm for best cutting. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Ren said she pulled inspiration from a few different sources to come up with this recipe
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
How cool! These look delicious!
This totally takes me back to childhood. We ALWAYS used fresh rhubarb from our backyard to make yummy breakfast treats!
I think I will have to make these for my parents next time they visit. They will LOVE them!
Those look amazing! I’m always on the lookout for new rhubarb recipes, the season for it is so short in Western Ma, that I tend to buy WAY too much and stick in the freezer..
I have never had rhubarb before, but these look great!
They’re so pretty – I love family recipes!
I never know what to do with Rhubard, but these looks awesome!
divine. i want one. right now. pretty please?? 🙂
I love your recipes, lactose free and awesome, I will def. have to try this. Ps. we should team up and do something lactose free together in solidarity!
Thanks everyone – seriously if you have rhubarb hanging around. Make these. You won’t regret it.
I’m a little lost. The ingredients list mentions 5 c. rhubarb (and you break it into 3 c. for the filling and 2 c. for the sauce) but I don’t see in the step-by-step instructions when/where/how the 2 c. of rhubarb are used. Please help!
Thanks!
alexandjess – thanks for catching my mistake. I added the instructions about the sauce into the post, but you make the sauce by boiling 2 cups cut rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/3 cups water. The rhubarb for the sauce can be cut in large chunks because it all falls apart anyways.
Your sisters made the rhubarb rolls and stuffed dates yesterday for our Memorial Day cookout. They were delicious!!!! Can’t wait to have another piece tonight for desert. I have a new recipe for potato salad that is delish….let me know if you want me to pass on.
i made these tonight and they went awry for a series of reasons that were my fault and won’t go all into…. one thing i did though was use half rhubarb and half strawberries, which sounded delish but i didn’t cut the sugar enough and i think that also made things more watery. my question though, is whether by ‘shortening’ you specifically mean something like crisco or whether you just mean butter or margarine or anything like that. i used butter and didn’t see how i could get away with a little ‘stirring’ before rolling. i tried to cut it in with a pastry blender, but in the end maybe that was too much action for the dough as it seemed a little gummy after cooking….
i’d appreciate any advice!
natasha – I use Crisco for the dough. I think that’s what my dad always uses as well. Hopefully that is what caused the gumminess. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you.
My family has been making these for years. I have used butter or margarine to cut into the flour mixture for the dough and have never had a problem. I always roll my dough out into a rectangle and when I cut the rolls they NEVER look as neat as the ones you have pictured! I have added strawberries but only in the sauce. My mom liked to add red food coloring to make it look more rosy. We bake for 20 minutes before pouring on the sauce and then another 20 minutes. I have to make it every spring in honor of my mom.
my grandma recipe calls thesr soringtime rollypoly, and can ad what ever frozen berries you have , frozen is the least messy
sorry thats springtime rollypolly