Feliz Cinco De Mayo! I was planning on making a different version of these crumble bars last year for Cinco De Mayo, but I ended up making a Key Lime Bundt Cake instead. And truth be told, these crumble bars are not the exact recipe from the ones I saw. I decided to tweak the recipe to use ingredients I had on hand and I thought the filling from the original recipe sounded too sweet since it listed two cans of condensed milk (and one is sweet enough) so I used the filling recipe for my Key Lime Pie. What I ended up with was a delicious crumble bar with hints of coconut in the crust and topping and a filling that was perfectly sweet and tangy.
I began by making the crust. In the bowl of my food processor I combined all of the ingredients – flour, shredded coconut, oats, brown sugar, butter, baking soda, Kosher salt and coconut extract (which is completely optional, but, will up the coconut flavor) – and pulsed it until it started to clump together but was still crumbly. I reserved a cup of the mixture and pressed the remaining amount into the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan I lined with parchment paper leaving an overhang.
I then baked the crust in a 350 F preheated oven for about 20 minutes until it was beginning to brown. I actually took it out of the oven at the 15-minute mark but since it still looked a bit undercooked, I decided to leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. You don’t want to leave it in too long though as you will be baking it again with the filling and you don’t want the crust to get hard during the second bake.
While the crust was cooling, I made the filling. In a large bowl I beat egg yolks until they were pale and fluffy and then added in condensed milk, key lime juice and lime zest. Now, I used key lime juice, but you could easily just use freshly squeezed lime juice. I prefer the flavor of key limes over regular limes and while I would love to use freshly squeezed key lime juice, key limes are a rarity at my local supermarket.
Once the crust had cooled, I poured the filling on top.
And then sprinkled the reserved flour mixture over it.
I then baked it in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the filling had set and the crumble topping was beginning to brown.
After letting it cool completely on a wire rack, I refrigerated it for a few hours before slicing and enjoying.
Coconut Lime Crumble Bars
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup old-fashioned oats*
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons coconut extract (optional)
For the filling:
1 14oz. can condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup lime juice**
Zest of 1 lime
*can substitute quick oats
**I used key lime juice
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang.
Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor combine all of the ingredients for the crust. Pulse until the mixture begins to clump together but is still crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and press the remaining amount into the prepared baking pan, just on the bottom. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Cool for 10 minutes.
Make the filling: While the crust is cooling make the filling. In a medium bowl beat the eggs with a hand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in the condensed milk and then the lime juice and lime zest.
Pour the filling over the cooled crust and sprinkle the top with the reserved crust mixture.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the filling is just set and the crumble topping is golden.
Let cool completely on wire rack and then refrigerate for at least hour before slicing into 12 bars.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Bead Yarn & Spatula 