Key Lime Bars

My parents-in-law recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary so all of the siblings put together a Hawaiian-themed party for them and their friends. Being one of the primary organizers/bakers, I was faced with finding foods that were either definitively Hawaiian or at least tropical in nature. The family has Southern roots so their traditional key lime pie came to mind as a good crossover option. However, it's not so great at serving large groups as it tends to be a little messy, especially if children are helping themselves! My next resort was to take a lemon bar recipe from allrecipes.com and adapt it for our use. These tangy and delicious bars were perfect for the occasion - cold, slightly exotic and possessing a summertime flair.

Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1-1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
  
• 1-1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened

Filling:

• 6 eggs
  
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
  
• 6 T. all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup key lime juice
  
• 3-4 drops green food coloring, optional
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Combine the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake crust for 20 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, beat or whisk together all filling ingredients until frothy. Pour filling over hot crust and return to oven for an additional 20-25 minutes. Bars are done when lightly golden on top and the filling has set all the way into the middle. I jiggle the pan to see that it doesn't make the filling move. Cool the bars and cut into squares to serve. You may need to use a relatively sturdy knife for this task since the crust is thick.

Note: The original recipe says to sprinkle extra powdered sugar on the bars to decorate them after cooling but I found this to be unworkable. The filling is generally too wet and absorbs all the sugar, leaving you with a mottled looking top that is anything but decorative!