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These vibrant strawberry key lime pie bars combine the tropical tang of key lime with sweet strawberries in every dreamy bite. A must-have summer treat!
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Watch how to make this
What makes this recipe special
I am very excited about today's recipe. I have been very into baking lately, embracing all the lovely summer fruits. Normally, I eat all the berries and stone fruits raw, but this year, I decided to try my hand at developing desserts. People are always asking me, "What would you make with so and so?" Well, if you are ever in need of a berry dessert recipe, I am your girl. So far this year, I have made a blackberry almond galette, strawberry poppyseed cinnamon rolls, and strawberry rosewater tiramisu.
Returning to strawberries, today's treat is insanely delicious strawberry key lime pie bars. Wanting to make a different type of key lime pie, I took the basic idea and added strawberries to the filling. In addition to that, these have a gingersnap crust AND are topped with meringue! Can you see why I was so excited?
Recipe
Strawberry Key Lime Pie Bars
Ingredients
Gingersnap crust
- 1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (120 grams)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (42 grams)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (25 grams)
Strawberry key lime filling
- 1 cup strawberry puree (about 1 lb strawberries)
- ⅔ cup key lime juice (167 ml)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest
- 14 ounces condensed milk
Meringue
- 6 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan before cutting.
- Combine the gingersnap cookie crumbs with melted butter and brown sugar. Press the crumbs into the prepared baking dish into one even layer to form the crust. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool completely.
- Make the filling. Blend the strawberries until smooth to make the strawberry puree and combine with the lime juice.
- Beat together the egg yolks with lime zest until frothy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the condensed milk, beating constantly. Add the lime juice and strawberry puree, mixing until well combined. Pour the filling into the pan with the crust and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges have set. The center will be a little jiggly but it should not be runny. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Continue to cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, make the meringue. Whip together the egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, whipping until stiff peaks form. Top the strawberry key lime bars with the meringue. Use a blow torch to torch the top of the meringue. Cut into 9 bars and serve.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Bake crust
I am a little embarrassed to say that up until now, I have never had a key lime. I've only associated it with key lime pie, and I've never made the pie before (another small confession). Well, it was time to change things up. Although these strawberry key lime bars are not your typical key lime pie, they are so, so good. Trust me.
Let's start with the gingersnap cookie crust. The ginger complements the strawberries and key limes wonderfully, adding another flavor element. However, you can choose to use graham cracker crumbs instead.
I like to use a food processor to turn the cookies into crumbs, but you can also crush them by hand or with a mallet.
Combine the crumbs with melted butter and brown sugar and press the mixture into the bottom of a greased and lined 8x8-inch baking dish. Then, bake the crust for about 8 minutes.
I know the crumbs are already brown, so it's hard to tell when it's done baking. Ideally, we want the mixture to set and slightly harden to prevent it from becoming soggy after adding the fillings.
Step 2: Make filling
Now, let's move on to the strawberry key lime filling. You may be wondering, "What is the difference between key limes and regular limes?" Key limes are smaller, more aromatic, and have higher acidity.
Can you substitute regular limes for this recipe? Well then, it wouldn't be a key lime pie bar now, would it? If you can't find them fresh, bottled key lime juice is another alternative. I will admit, juicing these tiny fruits was a pain!
To make the strawberry puree, all you have to do is blend strawberries until smooth. I recommend using fresh if they're in season; however, you can use frozen as well. Thaw the frozen berries before pureeing.
Beat the egg yolks with lime zest until they become frothy and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add the condensed milk slowly, stirring constantly. I used a stand mixer to make the process easier.
Mix in the lime juice and strawberry puree until well combined, and there you have your filling.
Step 3: Bake
Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake for 10 minutes (yes, only 10 minutes!). The pie looks a little like pink Jell-O at this point. Don't worry if it jiggles around a little since it will firm up as it chills overnight.
Meanwhile, make the meringue. Since you used only the egg yolks for the filling, I thought it only made sense to use the whites to make a meringue.
Whip the egg whites with cream of tartar until the mixture becomes foamy. The cream of tartar will help stabilize the egg whites and assist in making those signature meringue peaks. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Top the strawberry key lime pie bars with meringue and use a blowtorch to brown the tops. Have fun with the meringue since the swirls are what make the bars look beautiful.
Recipe tip
To get clean slices, dip a sharp knife in a cup of hot water. Wipe the knife dry and slice into the bars. Dip the knife in the water and wipe it clean in between each slice.
Cut into bars and get ready to be blown away. That might be an exaggeration, but then again, who am I kidding? I loved these bars, and I got the stamp of approval from my foodie friends! The tart but slightly sweet filling with the gingersnap crust and marshmallowy meringue is really just heaven.
Excuse me while I return to my plate of strawberry key lime pie bars...
For another delicious dessert bar recipe, check out these grapefruit bars on brown butter shortbread crust and peach cobbler yogurt bars!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can bake the crust the day before, if desired.
- Store: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The meringue is best added just before serving for optimal texture.
More summer dessert recipes
Looking for more summer dessert ideas? Try these:
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