Buttermilk Lime Bars

Aren't those pretty little bundles of joy?

Now that it's officially spring (yeah!! I can feel it coming) and it's Spring Break in our neck of the woods I thought it was time to break out the citrus.

I love lemon but the hubs loves his limes.  And since I had a quart of buttermilk sitting in my fridge this was the perfect idea.  I was going to die the top green so you new it was actually lime instead of lemon but I thought maybe that was a little over the top but I promise I did use limes.

We took these bad boys with us to the park one night (in honor of Spring) and they were absolutely delicious.  The children begged for thirds they were that tasty.

So here's to Spring and a fun filled week with the children home.

Buttermilk Lime Bar

(click here for printable version)

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into 8 pieces
Filling:
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tbsp lime zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 9x9 with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

2. To make the crust, in a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the butter pieces over the top of the dry mixture and using a pastry blender, or two knives, cut the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pour the mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and press the crust firmly to form an even layer. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

3. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling by whisking together all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl until evenly combined. Pour the filling mixture over the hot crust as soon as it comes out of the oven and return it to the oven to bake for 25-30 more minutes or until the filling is set (that means that when shaken slightly the filling in the center won't move).

4. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar, slicing and serving. I think they are even more fabulous having been chilled. Enjoy!

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe