From now on whenever I think of lemon bars I’ll be reminded of the time that I first met a group of cousins I never knew I had. We all convened at my parents’ house (it turns out they don’t live that far away) for dinner the day after Christmas, just ten days ago. Their great-great-great-grandfather was my great-great-grandfather. I did the calculation and determined that makes us 3rd cousins once removed. It’s a distant relation, but family is family.
One of my “new” cousins, about my same age, brought over lemon bars that day. I hadn’t had them in forever and hers were fantastic. I learned that both she and her sister love to cook and that her sister even has her own special occasion cake business. Even though we’re only 3rd cousins once removed I felt connected over this.
This little reunion prompted me to share a recipe for Creamy Lemon-Lime Bars today. The recipe, which I adapted from the side of a can of sweetened condensed milk, is more reminiscent of key lime pie than the traditional lemon bars my cousin made. They have a rich, creamy texture but are still very sweet, tart and refreshing. I brought limes into the mix to make things a little interesting (plus I love limes).
Creamy Lemon-Lime Bars
Adapted slightly from the Luscious Lemon Squares recipe on the side of the Safeway Sweetened Condensed Milk can.
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes | Total time: 60 minutes (plus cooling time)
Yield: 16 squares
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Dash salt
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top (I omitted this)
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line an 8-inch square pan with heavy foil, allowing it to extend over 2 ends.
- In a medium-size microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and salt until crumbly. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Cool 5 minutes, but leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the lemon and lime juices, milk and eggs until blended. Pour over the crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center is set. Cool completely.
- Lift foil with pastry to a flat surface. Dust the top with powdered sugar and cut into squares.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
they look so beautiful! this is perfection
What fun to discover a bunch of cousins you never knew you had! And how nice that you can share your love of cooking with them.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)´s last blog post ..Recipe for kale salad with mushrooms and mustard vinaigrette
Honestly, who doesn’t love lemon bars?!? This looks just like how my grandma used to make them.
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective´s last blog post ..Roasted Red Pepper Soup
These are going to be a hit at our house!
Maria´s last blog post ..Roasted Chickpea Fajitas
Anything with lemon or lime is my favorite dessert; sounds delish!
Kalyn´s last blog post ..Recipe for West African Chicken and Peanut Stew with Chiles, Ginger, and Green Onions
I love lemon bars, and these look FAB. Can’t wait to try them. Lime for an extra kick sounds GREAT.
*Just Fran*´s last blog post ..Friends (and A Giveaway!)
I love lemon bars! Adding lime to them sounds so yummy, too!
These lemon-lime bars look fabulous. Adding them to my list of To-Try recipes! And good for you meeting new family.
Happy New Year!
Simply Tia´s last blog post ..Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo
Oh my gosh, these sound amazing!! I’m usually the chocolate dessert kind of gal, but I’m a total sucker for key lime pie. I would love to give these a try! Thanks for the recipe
Casey´s last blog post ..Top 11 of 2011
This is such a coincidence, I just woke up in the middle of the night with a craving for lemon squares. I got up to search online for recipes and after finding a bunch of suspicious looking recipes, I gave up and closed all of the pages. Then I looked over at my Top Sites and saw a screenshot of your site and what looked like lemon squares. Lo and behold! I always prefer your recipes (and the Neelys), before searching elsewhere.
By the way, that third, sixth, eighth cousin, removed two, ten, twenty times has no meaning in my culture. My folk are from the south, we’re African-American and a cousin is a cousin, an aunti is an aunti, and big mama’s big mama no matter how close or distant the relation. My husband is African, from central Africa, and he says the same principle is used throughout Africa, so we know where it comes from.
Family is family no matter how close or how distant the connection. I’ve never understood these rules they use out in the US/Europe – second, third, fourth cousins removed once, two, three times. Lol, what kind of crazy?? It’s family!
Never even heard of those rules till we moved to the big city. Lawd.
What a wonderful story, Kathy. How fun to be connected with relatives, distant or not. These bars look wonderful!
Cookin’ Canuck´s last blog post ..Lean Bison & Barley Soup Recipe with Green Peas
If you wanted to omit the lime juice, should you double up on lemon or just stick with the 1/3??
hi Sam – just use an additional 1/3 cup of lemon juice (for a total of 2/3 cup lemon juice)
Thank you! I couldn’t remember what brand of condensed milk I had seen this recipe on, and had lost it. I like it better than the others I’ve tried.
I also recently met some distant cousins (4th and 5th!), and food was also a big part of the reunion (they’re Lebanese, and hosted, and did all the wonderful cooking).