Gina: These tart-sweet bar cookies are a variation on traditional lemon bars, and, girl, they are a vacation in a pan! The tender cookie base holds a puckery lime filling that gets a little extra kick from grated lime zest. You can use fresh limes or that bottled Key-lime juice you brought back from your last trip to the Gulf Coast. These bars need nothing more than a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, and they make an ideal dessert for barbecues, picnics, and slumber parties.

　　

Ingredients

makes 16 to 20 bars

　　

Cookie crust

1 cup unsalted butter

　　1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

　　2 cups all-purpose flour

　　Pinch kosher salt

　　

Lime topping

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

　　2 cups sugar

　　6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or bottled Key-lime juice)

　　2 teaspoons grated lime zest

　　Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 × 13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray.

　　

Step 3

To make the crust, combine the butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt, and mix another minute, until well combined (see note). Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, and pat out to an even thickness over the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, and cool on a baking rack.

　　

Step 4

To make the topping, whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, and whisk until just combined, then whisk in the lime juice and zest. Pour the lime topping over the cooled crust, then bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until the filling is set.

　　

Step 5

Allow the bars to cool completely. Generously dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares. For the neatest presentation, use a metal spatula or a butcher’s scraper to remove the bars from the pan. Leftovers will keep for 2 or 3 days at room temperature, or for up to a week in the refrigerator.

　　Cooks' Note

　　The cookie crust dough can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, then wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake the bars, simply bring the dough to room temperature and pat out as described above.

　　From Down Home with the Neelys by Patrick and Gina Neely Copyright (c) 2009 by Patrick and Gina Neely Published by Knopf.Patrick and Gina Neely are owners of Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis and hosts of several Food Network shows, including the series Down Home with the Neelys, one of the highest-rated programs to debut on the popular Food Network. High school sweethearts who reconciled at their ten-year reunion, they have been married since 1994. They live in Memphis with their two daughters.Paula Disbrowe collaborated with Susan Spicer on Crescent City Cooking and is the author of Cowgirl Cuisine.