Triple Citrus Bars

For a bake sale at my daughter’s school, I went with one tried-and-true item, marbled tahini cookies, and also made something new, a more sophisticated variation on Key lime bars.

The recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated, apparently from July 2006! The attribution isn’t listed on the America’s Test Kitchen website, though, which is where I found it. Anyhow, as many other bloggers have admitted, I made the crust with graham cracker crumbs, omitting the sugar.

Juicing all the fruit, and grating the zest, was very satisfying: all of the bright colours and the heady fragrance was extremely enticing. Do remember to wash your fruit thoroughly to remove the exterior wax and to use fresh fruit. I find that old citrus is much harder to zest.

The filling was a snap to make, just stirring things together carefully to ensure no lumps. One tip: condensed milk is usually sold in 14 oz cans by weight and is what is called for in the (US) recipe. But in Canada, the product is marked as 300mL cans by volume, which translates to 10 oz by volume.

Hot out of the oven, the filling is firm and slightly bubbly at the edges, and may be still a little jiggly. But after cooling, and refrigeration, they come out pretty firm. I added the toasted coconut garnish, but that’s totally optional.

I love the citrus and dairy combination, and these squares were so satisfying. The combination of lemon, lime, and orange elevated them beyond the typical bars, and using a graham crust kept the familiar taste. Would make again (and I did, a week later, as they sold out at the fundraiser!)