KEY LIME PIE BARS RECIPES

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a 9-by-13-inch baking pan of hot water on the bottom oven rack.
• Line a second 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang around the edges, and coat with cooking spray. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Pour in the butter and pulse until the crumbs are well coated and stick together when pinched. Press evenly into the bottom of the foil-lined pan.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, lime juice, vanilla and eggs to the food processor (no need to clean it first). Process until smooth, using a spatula to scrape the sides as needed.
• Pour the filling over the crust and smooth the surface. Bake on the center rack until the center is just set but slightly jiggly, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven with the door closed for 10 minutes. Open the door halfway and leave the pan in the oven until the cheesecake is firmly set around the edges and very slightly jiggly in the center, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• When ready to serve, lift the cheesecake out of the pan using the foil overhang. Cut into 12 large pieces (or 24 small pieces if preferred) and place on a serving platter. Generously dust with powdered sugar and grate over lime zest.

Steps:

• For the crust: Place the graham crackers and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour in the melted butter. Process the crumbs until they are the texture of coarse sand. Transfer to a deep 9-inch pie plate. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Press firmly to pack and make an evenly thick crust. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes. For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer using a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer with beater attachments), whisk the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Transfer to another bowl and set aside. In the same stand mixer bowl, place the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese and lime zest. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well mixed, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly add the key lime juice. Increase the speed to medium and mix until well combined. Remove from the stand mixer and gently fold in the whipped cream.  Transfer the filling to the pie crust and smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate for 12 hours. Serve topped with additional whipped cream and lime zest.